Magic's Call
by Dreaming of a Bright Sky
Summary: Stiles search of knowledge gets him into trouble, and Derek is forced to acknowledge the truth.
1. Chapter 1

Magic's Call by Dreaming of Blue Skies

_Stiles search of knowledge gets him into trouble, and Derek is forced to acknowledge the truth._

Note: I have not written fan fiction in a VERY long time and this is my very first Teen Wolf fanfic.

** Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 1/25:

"Derek, it's about Stiles." There was a pause, and Derek could hear Scott's panicked breathing. "It's bad, really bad. Deaton says it has to be you. Please, Derek. Please!"

Derek had turned his phone off while he'd been in the county municipal building. It had been four years since he'd come back to Beacon Hills. On the tenth anniversary of the fire, he'd decided to get the permits to have the old house demolished. The years hadn't been kind to the structure and parts of it had already collapsed. Stupid teenagers were always daring each other to go into the "haunted" Hale house. One of these days a kid was going to go inside and get hit by a falling beam or go through the floor.

He frowned when he saw a message waiting for him when he turned his phone back on. After high school, the pack had scattered. He supposed that's what he got for turning a bunch of teenagers. They went off to college; each with promises to come back, but he knew that they probably wouldn't. Only Scott had stuck around. He'd never been great at school, and he'd barely managed to make it into the local community college.

Scott had been planning a trip to visit Stiles. He'd been worried about his best friend. Derek hadn't taken it seriously; Stiles was pretty good at coming through unscathed. In all the years of him running with the pack, he'd never been seriously injured. Physically, anyway. The years of lying to his dad had driven a wedge between them. Stiles was still adamant about protecting his father from the supernatural goings on in Beacon Hills. The Sheriff, on the other hand, couldn't stand the lying and seemingly reckless (not to mention law breaking) activities that his son had constantly engaged in. Rather than fight about it, they grew distant. By the time Stiles had left for college, they barely spoke to each other. Stiles had considered it a small price to pay to keep his dad safe.

The boy had gone off to the state university and hadn't looked back. He spoke frequently to Scott, and would sometimes send Derek the occasional funny email, but he never came home. It was only a ninety minute drive, but it felt like an endless distance. Scott grew concerned when Stiles started calling less and being secretive. He hadn't heard from him at all in over a month, but Mrs. McCall refused to let him visit until after the spring semester. She kept telling him that Stiles was probably swamped with finals or had finally found a girlfriend. Scott kept insisting that something was wrong, and after hearing his message, Derek realized that Scott had probably been feeling something through his pack bond.

When he tried calling Scott back, he was directed straight to voice mail. Hoping that he wasn't wasn't about to waste the next several hours and a bunch of gas, he decided to make the trip. He made the ninety minute drive in just over an hour. When he pulled up to the address he had for Stile's apartment, the hair on his arms stood up. Magic. Strong magic.

A few students were loading cars, getting ready to head home for the summer. Derek paused and checked for threats, but all he could pick up was that prickly, heavy sense of energy that raised his hackles. Locking the car, he searched for the right apartment. Between the scent of Stiles lingering in the air and the oppressive trail of magic, he found the apartment. Inside, he could hear two heartbeats: one was strong and healthy, the other was weak and stuttering. As Derek reached the door, it was yanked open. "Derek, thank god. You have to help him. Deaton said..."

Derek tuned out Scott's frantic words and tunnel visioned on Stile's pale form, laying inside a chalked circle on his floor. Symbols written along the inside. Derek felt his control start to slip and his eyes started to glow red. Scott's words ground to a stop and he eyed the Alpha warily. "Derek, don't wolf out, man." He peered out and looked around. "Come inside before someone sees you!" Derek shook his head to clear it and got himself back under control. When he stepped through the door, he felt a wave of magic run through him with the subtlety of a freight train. He staggered for a second. Scott looked confused. "What was that? That didn't happen when I came in."

"Magic," Derek growled. He approached Stiles. "Scott, were you able to cross the circle?"

"No. I tried but it bounced me back. I called Deaton because he knows about this stuff. He said that it sounded like a personal protection circle. Only somebody close to Stiles could cross it, somebody that Stiles felt safe with. Somebody who he felt would protect him no matter what." Scott hung his head, "I'm his best friend. I should have been able to help him, but I can't." The young man looked up at Derek. "Deaton says that you can cross it. He says that it has to be you."

The Alpha only contemplated this for a brief moment before his need to get to Stiles drove him forward. As he hit the edge of the chalk line, he felt a rush of warmth cross his skin and then the circle opened for him. He dropped to his knees next to Stiles and touched the young man's gaunt face. The moment his hand touched that waxen skin, he felt as if a current had begun to flow from him into Stiles. Derek experienced a brief sense of disorientation and then he _felt_ Stiles, almost as if he were pack.

It was akin to that night when Mrs. Argent had tried to poison Scott. When the teen had howled, Derek had felt Scott's breathing faltering and his body shutting down. In that moment, he knew where Scott was, and he knew that he had to get to him. In the same way, he now knew that Stiles was clinging to life by the barest of threads. He could not only physically see the bones in Stiles' face sharply contrast to the hollowed cheeks, but he could also _feel_ the heavy drag of exhaustion and malnourishment that was taking its toll on the young man's system. He could also feel the energy flowing out of him trickle into Stiles and begin to make him just the tiniest bit stronger.

"Scott, call Deaton. I need to talk to him."

Scott shook his head. "The phones aren't working inside the apartment. If you want to talk to him, you'll have to go outside."

"I'm not leaving Stiles. Call Deaton. Ask him if I can safely remove Stiles from the circle, and about the barrier on the door. See if he can come help us with this." Derek waited and listened to the conversation outside. After he heard Deaton explain how to break the circle, he picked Stiles up carefully. One scuff of his boot over a certain symbol, and the circle came down. He listened to Deaton's voice through Scott's tinny sounding phone, and settled onto the couch with Stiles to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Magic's Call **by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_  
"It will take blood to break this seal. Blood willingly given, and by somebody with a deep bond to Stiles." Dr. Deaton looked at Derek, as if waiting for a response._

__  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 2/25

Deaton was already on his way, though he'd had to tend to some things at the clinic before he could leave. He'd made it clear to Scott that they needed to keep Stiles inside until he could take a look at whatever barrier or spell was across the door. Scott re-entered the apartment to find Derek on the couch, with Stiles in his arms. "Dude! What the hell? Why are you holding Stiles as if he's your girlfriend or something?"

Derek glared at Scott. His temperament had mellowed out some, though even on his best days he'd never be considered "chill". This though? This was his death glare, and Scott hadn't seen that in a long time. "Seriously! Lay him out on his bed or something."

Scott reached out to take Stiles from Derek, only to get a face full of pissed off Alpha. "Don't touch him!"

The beta contemplated pushing the issue anyway, but he backed off. Derek had always been something of a creeper when it came to Stiles. Stiles had teased Derek about it, but never complained that much. It had been a bit of a surprise to the pack that the Alpha had simply let them all go off to college, and that he'd left Stiles to his own devices for the last couple of years.

While he'd waited for Derek, all Scott would do was stare ate Stiles from the other side of the circle. He could hear his heartbeat and see him breath, so he knew that his friend was alive. It worried him to see Stiles so still. Even when sleeping, Stiles was moving and talking. That unnatural stillness was freaking him out. "Is he ok?"

Derek's eyes flashed. "No."

The beta stared at them; Derek on the edge of wolfing out, and Stiles cradled in his arms. "Deaton will know what to do. After he figures out the door, we can take Stiles to the hospital. Everything will be ok." He said it as if he were trying to convince himself. Then with a shrug, Scott headed towards the kitchen. "He'll be here soon. I'm going to see what Stiles has for food. I'm hungry!"

Derek watched Scott start to rummage through the kitchen, and he didn't want to admit how unnerved he'd been by the whole exchange. He didn't know why he'd reacted that way. Hell, he wasn't sure why he'd dropped everything to come here. Stiles was Scott's pack, not his. His reactions to Stiles had never been normal, and two years apart didn't seem like it had changed things much. His thoughts were interrupted by Scott complaining, "There's nothing to eat! This is Stiles. He always has food!" He moved from the refrigerator to the cupboards, slamming each door shut when he didn't find what he was looking for. Finally, he settled on a chair with huff. "I guess I'll wait til Deaton gets here."

Luckily, Dr. Deaton didn't take too long, otherwise Derek might have strangled Scott. The beta kept switching from asking if Stiles was alright and wanting to touch him, to grumbling about the lack of food. Derek ground his teeth in frustration.

Both wolves could hear Deaton when he approached the apartment, and Scott jumped up to open the door. The vet smiled and asked him to get some gear out of his car. He approached the couch and knelt in front of Derek and Stiles. He looked at Derek and at his nod, started to check out Stiles. "I'm a vet, you know. Treating people really isn't my specialty."

Derek huffed a little and told him, "Didn't stop you before."

"True." Deaton pinched a bit of Stiles' skin on the back of the wrist and frowned a bit when it stayed tented. He did other tests as Derek watched. After he was done, he sat back. "I may know what caused this, but I can't be sure until he's awake and talking."

The older man waved Scott over when he came in with a couple of boxes and several bags hanging from his elbows. "You could have made a couple of trips, you know."

Scott grinned. "Werewolf, remember? I've got this."

Deaton shook his head fondly and grabbed a box. "Set the rest down. I want you to set up an IV."

"Me?! But I've only done it on dogs!"

"It's a good skill to have when you deal with the supernatural. You may be a werewolf, but that doesn't mean everyone around you is. Come on, I know you can do it." Dr. Deaton continued pulling out equipment. "He's dehydrated, so it does make this harder. Just be careful." He guided Scott step by step, and soon Stiles had a saline drip attached to his hand.

Deaton stood up. "Now for the door. Scott, you said that you didn't feel anything, right? At the beta's nod, Deaton switched to Derek. "What did you feel?"

"It felt like being hit by lightening."

The older man nodded. "I felt the magic, but it didn't hurt me. Derek, have you tried going back outside?"

After Derek's head shake, the vet convinced him to test his theory. The alpha set Stiles down and tried to go out the door. When he did, it was like hitting a wall of electricity. He felt the energy run through his system and stepped back, muscles twitching. Deaton nodded and stepped outside to examine the doorway. After some careful searching, he evidently found what he was looking for.

"It will take blood to break this seal. Blood willingly given, and by somebody with a deep bond to Stiles." Dr. Deaton looked at Derek, as if waiting for a response.

"I'll do it!" Scott bared his arm, but Dr. Deaton only shook his head. He kept looking at Derek.

Derek stood blank faced, staring at the vet. "Why me?" He growled low in his throat. "Scott can do it. It doesn't have to be me!"

Deaton spoke calmly. "You know why it has to be you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

"No! No, no, no no!" Stiles rasped. "Witches, real witches, don't do that."

_Spoilers for both seasons. Mild swearing._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

_Chapter 3/25_

Derek had retreated back towards the couch and was glowering. He didn't want to give in and touch Stiles again. He knew that the IV was helping. He could hear Stiles' heartbeat even out a little. That spark within Stiles was still dim, though. The energy that had flowed from him into the young man had caused it to brighten, for lack of a better word, but now it wasn't improving. The flow had stopped when he'd put Stiles down to check the barrier. Derek felt torn between preventing this thing that had always existed between them, and risking Stile's life. With a small growl he gave in and gently pulled Stiles into his lap. Deaton gave a knowing smile.

"Why in the hell are you being all touchy feely with Stiles all of a sudden? This is just weird. And Deaton, why won't my blood work? Stiles and I have been friends forever!" Scott was confused and starting to get angry. "Why could Derek get through Stile's circle, but I got thrown on my ass? What in the hell is going on?!"

Deaton pushed Scott into a chair. "Sit down and I'll do my best to explain." He drew up a kitchen chair and sat down. "Stiles and Derek have a bond. I'm not completely sure what it is, but I can make an educated guess."

"Bond? Does Stiles know about this? Are they mates or something?"

Derek glared at Scott and gritted out, "No. We're not mates!"

"Really? So when you were a fugitive and you needed a safe place, where did you go? " Deaton paused and thought a moment, "And when you were dying of wolfsbane poisoning, whose help did you seek?"

"I went looking for Scott!"

Scott interjected, "But it was Stiles' jeep you walked in front of, Derek. You didn't go to my bike, and you had to have been able to smell that it was mine. You didn't. You went to Stiles' instead." Now that Scott was starting to get the picture, he started seeing all the pieces that he'd missed. "At the police station when the two of you were paralyzed, you had me get Stiles' out first. You made me leave you behind."

Deaton nodded at Scott. "I'm pretty sure it's mutual. Stiles has helped him many times that I'm aware of. Granted, it's the kind of person Stiles is, but he's risked the most for you and Derek."

"Not to mention...keeping him afloat...in a pool for over...two hours. Believe me…all…that muscle…is heavy!", Stiles haltingly whispered.

"Stiles!" Scott was over to the couch faster than Stiles could blink. "Are you ok?" He was patting at Stiles despite Derek's eyes glowing red and the growls rumbling from his chest.

Stiles' hand limply batted at Derek. "Don't be such…a sourwolf." To Scott he replied, " 'm fine. Thirsty."

Scott tumbled up to get some water.

Deaton leaned in and spoke, "Good to see you awake, Stiles. When you're ready, we need to get to the bottom of this."

Stiles sighed. "Yeah. I guess."

With Stiles conscious, Derek wasn't entirely sure what to do. He didn't want to shove him off his lap, but he felt awkward still holding him. He shifted a little and Stiles good hand tangled into the fabric of his shirt and held. Even when Scott brought water, he didn't let go. Instead, he let the young beta help him drink.

After a while, an oddly subdued Stiles told them about finding a group that studied magic. An older guy ran it, and he had people study various books on ritual magic. His group had different levels, and beginners were called "initiates". At first it had seemed cool, and Stiles dove into it like he did everything else: full throttle. He began to notice, however, that he left meetings feeling tired and drained. He began to lose weight no matter how much he ate. He'd thought it was a coincidence until he accidentally heard a member talking about how much power they were siphoning off their "pet spark".

After that, he tried to walk away from the group, but they didn't want to let him go. At first, they just kept hounding him. Later, it changed to small spells sent to harass him. No matter how far away he tried to stay, he felt exhausted. He kept losing weight. He'd finished finals several days ago and was planning on leaving, only to find a barrier on his door. He couldn't leave. He tried throwing himself at the barrier hoping the momentum would allow him through. His efforts only ended with him laying semi-conscious on his floor, hair smoldering.

He found that the barrier blocked all communication attempts. He couldn't connect to the internet, he couldn't call out, and nobody could seem to hear him yelling. He also felt himself being drained faster than ever. In an attempt to protect himself, he'd created a circle using his new found knowledge. His last memory was of finishing the symbols and the circle going up.

"So wait, these people are witches? Or warlocks? Or whatever?", Scott asked.

"No! No, no, no no!" Stiles rasped. "Witches, real witches, don't do that."

"What do you mean? They use magic, so they must be witches."

Deaton answered, "Magic is just the ability to harness energy to do things. There are a lot of ways to do that. Witches, in particular, like to live in harmony with nature. They harness natural forces for their spell work. Many of them have a creed that they follow, and they try not to cause harm. No, these people sound like some sort of psi vamps."

"Psi vamps?"

"Short for psychic vampires. They're not real vampires, of course. They're magic users who gain power by draining others of theirs."

Derek had been silent through Stiles' explanation. "They can kill." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. Normally, they just make people a bit tired. Some can cause actual illness. A rare few have the ability to kill. A whole group working in concert could drain somebody dry, as well."

Scott turned his puppy eyes on Stiles, "Why didn't you tell me? I'd have come and helped you! You know I would have."

"I didn't want to risk it. If they thought my energy was tasty, what would they do with a real, live werewolf? I was hoping to be able to get away and figure out a solution after I was safe." His fingers tightened briefly on Derek's shirt. "And now they have an you and an Alpha to drain dry."

Derek could still sense Stile's inner core and it was growing brighter in incremental bits. "They're not draining him right now. Why?"

Deaton looked at him smugly. "No. They're not, but the question is how you know that."

Derek weighed his answers. He could growl and get defensive and perhaps delay the inevitable, but Deaton knew. He knew, and it was only a matter of time before Scott and Stiles did too. "Because we're mates and the bond has become active."


	4. Chapter 4

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_"Seriously, dude, do you really think that's going to scare me? As you're sitting here cuddling with me?"_

Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons. Canon level violence.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

_Chapter 4/25_

Stiles did a weak fist pump, unfortunately he did it with the hand taped up to an IV. "Finally!" He winced and uncurled his hand. "Oh…ow. Crap. Remind me not to do that again." Derek stared, unbelieving, at him.

'What? I'm a research guru. Did you think I hadn't researched everything known to man about werewolves when Scott was bitten? I'm just that fantastic!' He smiled for the first time that night. 'And you, my surly friend, were obviously smitten with the mate bug! With me. Ha!"

"Mate bug? Smitten?" Derek allowed his eyes to flash red for a moment.

"Seriously, dude, do you really think that's going to scare me? As you're sitting here cuddling with me?"

"I can dump you on the floor right now, if you want."

Stiles grinned. "Nah. This is comfy and you're warm. I think I'll stay right here." The alpha frowned and looked grumpy, but didn't follow through on his threat.

Scott, on the other hand, looked really upset. "We're best friends. Deaton said that the circle would only admit somebody that you absolutely trusted and it wouldn't let me in, and now I find out that you **knew** Derek was your mate! And you didn't tell me! And this thing with the blood? You're pack. You're family! Why can't I do it?!"

Stiles sagged a little. "Scott…" Derek tightened his hold on him. 'Look. I love you. You've been my best bud since we were little.' He sighed, 'God, this is hard. It's just that, well, I don't believe one hundred percent that you'll always be there."

"WHY?" Scott began pacing. "When have I not been there for you? When have I not had your back?!"

"How many times did you ditch me for a girl?" Stiles was tired, ill, and this had been sitting on his chest for a very long time. "Derek and I were trapped in a swimming pool for hours. I dropped him to the bottom of a pool to possibly drown for a chance, a mere **_chance_**, that I could get a hold of you. What did you do? You hung up on me. **You hung up on me!** You didn't even ask why I was calling. We almost drowned!"

"I got there in time! I saved you!"

"You got there because you needed the bestiary, not because you knew we in trouble." Stiles strength began to flag, "Scott, I love you man, I really do, but you've proven over and over that you'll forget about me or ditch me for your lady loves. I could tell you all the times you did it for some girl, but it doesn't matter. You're still my best bud."

Scott was looking kind of stunned, and Stiles didn't have the energy to try to fix this right now. 'As to why I didn't tell you about the mates thing? For one, I wasn't sure. I thought it was true, but Mr. Sourwolf here is so emotionally stunted that it took me almost dying for him to admit it. I knew that I'd never be able to get it out of him. For another, part of this was Lydia's plan."

Scott interrupted, "You told Lydia! You told Lydia, but not me?"

"You dumb ass, I didn't tell her! The woman is a genius, and a Goddess, and she knows everything! She figured it out, dragged me off one day, and told me what she expected me to do. Between the situation with my dad and Derek's emotional constipation", he paused as a low growl rumbled through Derek's chest, "sorry, dude, but so very true! Anyway, she figured that I needed to do the whole "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and "play hard to get" cards. Not really my style, but she threatened to castrate me with her shiny fingernails, and she'd do it, too! I kind of like everything where it is, thanks, so no going against Lydia!'

His voice was starting to get raspy. 'I figured that if Derek didn't start missing me by the end of college, I'd come home and follow him around until he either killed me or kissed me"

Stiles watched as Scott's face went from hurt to anger and back again. He glanced over to Deaton, "Can you take over the explanation for the rest, please?" At Dr. Deaton's nod, he turned his face into Derek's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Scott wasn't happy with that. "No! I want to know.."

Derek's roar shook the windows, "**Shut up**, Scott! Deal with it later, when arguing is less likely to kill him!"

Stiles mumbled into his shoulder, "Way to make me go deaf, Sourwolf."

Derek softly replied, "Shut up.", and shifted Stiles slightly to make him more comfortable.

When Deaton was sure that everybody was listening he began explaining. "With Scott's first call and his description of the symbols in Stiles circle, I knew it had to be a protection spell. The symbols being on the inside meant he was protecting himself. Scott mentioned not being able to call from inside the apartment, and the protection circle's effects should have stayed inside the circle, so I knew there were other magical forces at play. It wasn't until after he called the second time that I was sure that there was some sort of barrier around the apartment. The fact that he didn't react at all but it staggered Derek, was very telling. The barrier was keyed for Stiles in specific, but Derek got caught by it because he's linked to him in a fundamental way."

He glanced at Scott. 'Truthfully, your blood would work. Derek's would work better. I don't want to risk backlash to Stiles. I don't think he could handle it right now. Derek's blood, because of the bond, would ensure the barrier coming down fully and cleanly."

The alpha's eyes rested on Deaton, "You can have all the damn blood you want."

Deaton nodded and continued, "That's not out only problem here. From what Stiles described, they already have a link to him, and can drain him from a distance. We have a couple of options. We can simply cut the link, which frees Stiles. Or, we can send a surge of energy back through the link that will fry out the magical pathways of the people draining him. It will free him, but also prevent them from doing this again."

"What's the catch? I can hear a "but" at the end of that."

"Very good, Stiles. Yes." Deaton looked up at Scott, who was still pacing. "We'd need you for this to work, Scott."

Scott stopped his pacing and glanced over at Stiles. He could see the bumps of spine through his friend's t-shirt, where he was curled into Derek. He could hear that Stiles' heart was still a little off beat. He thought of staring at him through the circle, and wondering if his best friend was going to die. "I may suck at being a friend sometimes, but I'm in. What do you need me to do?" Stiles' eyes never opened, but Scott saw him smile a bit. It made him feel better.

"You're not a spark like Stiles, but as a werewolf, you have a lot of natural energy. We'll need some of your blood and we'll use that as a focus to channel your energy."

"What's with all the blood, doc? You need Derek's blood to break the barrier and my blood for this."

"Blood is literally our life force. When you willingly give up blood for a ritual, it creates immense power. The people who sacrifice others don't want to give up their own power, so they use others instead. What they don't understand is that it's a corruption of the sacrifice. It gives them a lot of power very quickly. Ultimately, it turns on them."

"So how will this work?"

"Stiles is too weak to manage the level of energy we'd need to do this. He's suffering from severe magical drain. Any more trauma to his system is going to send him into shock. Derek would have more than enough power, but we can't risk that draining him won't impact Stiles." Deaton looked up when Derek startled a bit. "Something we need to know, Derek?"

Derek glanced down at Stiles, who'd opened his eyes at this turn in the conversation. "When I crossed the circle and first touched him, I felt… Well, I could _feel_ Stiles. I think that's the mate bond. I also felt like energy was going from me into him, and it was making him stronger." Derek grudgingly admitted, "I'm not sure what it is. It stopped when I put him down, earlier. I started again when I touched him. I don't think that's the mate bond. I'm not sure. I never got to learn enough before my family died, and Laura was too busy keeping us alive to teach me."

Deaton looked thoughtful. "I'll need to do some research, but I suspect that it's his magic calling to yours. As a born werewolf and as an alpha, you are a creature of natural magic. This could potentially create an amazingly strong pair bond, if you let it. It definitely rules out using you for this, though." He cleared his throat, "Try skin to skin contact. See if that enhances the energy flow."

Scott yelped, "I so do not want to see them naked! No! I'm cool with the gay thing and all, but I do not want to see it!"

Deaton chuckled warmly, "Scott, I'm not talking sex. Derek said it started when he touched Stiles' cheek. They could hold hands, or Stiles can move up a little and let his forehead rest on Derek's neck. It just has to be skin to skin, and not through clothes."

Derek slid his hand to settle under the edge of Stiles' t-shirt, just along his hip. He felt Stiles relax further into his touch and sensed the energy flow deepen. He nodded sharply at the vet. Then he felt Stiles stiffen and struggle to sit up. "Wait. Wait! Did they turn me into a psi vamp? Am I one of them now? I'm stealing Derek's energy. I can feel it now that I'm looking for it. Oh My God! I've been turned into a psychic vampire!"

The young man kept struggling and was trying to push Derek's hand from his side. "Idiot! You're not stealing. I'm giving it."

"It doesn't matter! What if I hurt somebody? Oh God! Are you going to have to fry my magical pathway's too?" His panic was making his heartbeat ratchet up, and both werewolves could hear his heart struggle and stutter. Stiles breath was coming in short pants and his whole body was shaking.

Scott was suddenly kneeling in front of him, "Stiles! Stiles!" He looked at Derek helplessly, "I think he's having a panic attack."

Derek pulled Stiles in tighter, ignoring the flailing limbs. He slid one hand to firmly grasp the back of the young man's neck and he made direct eye contact. "Stop. Calm down. We'll deal with this."

Deaton spoke up, "You're not a psi vamp, Stiles. Between the mate bond and the magical connection, I'm not surprised this has happened. Mated werewolves heal faster. You're just drained, so the connection seems one way right now. It will go both ways. You'll be able to help Derek heal faster. If he gets shot with wolfsbane, the bond will allow him to survive longer. This helps both of you. It may even help the whole pack. Wolves are stronger together. A natural-born, Alpha, werewolf with a magical mate could make a pack stronger and faster. It would boost the healing of everybody connected to the pack. It's probably part of why Scott has always been so strong for a beta. You're in his pack, and so your innate magic strengthened him."

Stiles had stopped struggling, and Scott had sandwiched him against Derek. They remained in a huddle as Stiles slowly worked down from the panic. Minutes ticked by and finally, Stiles relaxed. Derek still didn't like how his heart was sounding. He looked over at the vet. "You need to check him."

Deaton reached around the mass of arms and bodies and ran through some of the same tests as earlier. "He'll be alright, I think. He's still slightly dehydrated. I'll put up a fresh saline bag when this is one is done. Mostly, he needs food and rest. You need to stay with him. Keep up skin to skin contact."

He stood. "Scott, I saw a Chinese place around the corner." He handed him his wallet and keys. "Go buy something to eat for all of us. Get a lot of food. When we do this, you're going to need to replenish your own energy afterward."

Scott untangled himself from Stiles and Derek, and took the items. He looked back at Stiles; his best friend who'd stood by him for years, even when Scott had let him down. He vowed to himself that he'd be a better friend, and headed off to get this started.


	5. Chapter 5

**Magic's Call**by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons. Canon level violence._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**_

Chapter 5/25

The panic attack had taken a huge toll on Stiles' already taxed system. He was barely conscious, and Derek ended up practically force feeding some egg drop soup into him. Deaton suggested trying again later when Stiles crashed out mid-swallow.

After the rest of them ate, the vet pulled out a bunch of jars. He had Scott clear the kitchen and made a large circle that encompassed Stiles original one. He had plans for that circle later, and he wanted to leave it in place. He set up a charcoal burner and threw a pinch from one of the jars onto it. It sent up a spicy, richly scented smoke that soon filled the room. It was almost too strong for the werewolves, but they adjusted to it. He chanted some words and the air began to feel heavy, like a forest right before a thunderstorm. He picked up a silver dagger. "Scott, make a small cut on your forearm."

Scott pulled his sleeve up and made the cut. As blood welled out, Deaton swiped a finger into it. He dabbed a small amount onto Stiles' forehead, and then had Scott drip some of it into the charcoal burner. Smoke billowed out and Deaton began to chant. The words rolled out and Scott felt as if something were pulling on him. It was a strange feeling; he felt both lightheaded and heavy at the same time. The words began to feel like thunder in his head, and Deaton's word hit a crescendo. Green light flashed out, flooded Stiles, and faded away. Immediately afterward, Scott's eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped with a thud to the floor. A smell like ozone filled the room. Deaton's words began to wind down, and he ended with another pinch of powder to the charcoal burner.

He turned with a small smile, "Now for the barrier."

Derek looked startled. "That's it?"

As Deaton laid Scott out in a more comfortable position, he replied, "That's it. What? Did you think it was like the movies where they go on endlessly? That's not how it works."

He pulled a bowl out from Stiles cupboard and carefully cleaned the silver knife. He handed both to Derek. "Here. Your turn."

Derek shuffled Stiles' comatose weight a little, so that he could still hold Stiles but also do what Deaton wanted from him. "How much do you need?"

"Not a lot. Just enough for me two draw a couple of symbols. I need the bowl primarily because you and Stiles will be inside his circle. I'll be blocked from you like Scott was, but I'm hoping the protection circle will prevent Stiles from getting hurt when the barrier comes down. It's keyed to him."

After Derek donated to the cause, Deaton directed him to go into the smaller circle. With the chalk, he fixed the smudged symbol and the circle snapped up with an audible pop. A scent almost like cinnamon wafted around them. Deaton threw one more pinch of incense on the charcoal and stepped outside his circle. As he stepped over the threshold, the air crackled over the bowl. The vet kept going and closed the door.

Derek waited. Scott lay unmoving on the floor, and Stiles was drooling into his shoulder. He inhaled the cinnamon scent and watched the smoke tendrils move through the air. He'd almost been lulled unto daze when it looked like electricity was crawling over the outside of their small circle. It moved almost as if it were intelligent, creeping over the circle and seeking weak spots. Eventually it ebbed away, dissipating slowly. When it was gone, he could see Deaton waiting. He nodded, and Derek knew it was safe to drop the protection.

The vet crouched beside Scott and shook him awake. "Come on, you need to get some food."

Scott was groggy, but the word "food" perked him up. Soon he was scarfing down cold Chinese food. The three of them discussed their plans. They'd spend the night to let everybody recuperate, load Stiles stuff into his jeep in the morning, and go home. Scott was mumbling about stealing the couch when both werewolves went still. Derek's eyes went red. Scott's voice was low, "People heading this way, and they're talking about hurting Stiles."

"Scott, let me handle this." Deaton headed to the door and opened it when he heard voices approach. There were four of them; three men and one woman. One of the guys looked sickly and pale, but seemed to be the boss. Deaton was calm, "What can I do for you folks?"

The group hovered outside the door. One of the men, a tall guy with red hair, smirked when he saw Stiles' limp form. He whispered loudly to the boss, "He's toast. Look at him." Both werewolves could hear him and growled. The third man, kind of short and wearing glasses, nudged him. "Keep your mouth shut. Let Kieron handle this."

Kieron, the sickly guy who'd evidently gotten the brunt of the spell, stepped forward. "We'll just take the kid and go." He tried to push past Deaton but the vet didn't budge.

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. Stiles will be staying with us. I think it would be best if you turned around and headed home."

The man tried a different tact. "Stiles is a friend of ours and he's been really sick lately. We want to bring him back with us so we can keep an eye on him." He waved a hand in Stiles direction. "As I'm sure you can see, he needs medical attention. We'll just take him to his doctor."

The woman slid from the back of the group and started down the hall. Deaton watched her go. "I'm gratified by your concern for our friend, but we have it covered. We plan on taking him somewhere safe right away." Under his breath, so low that only the wolves could hear it he whispered, "Stiles. Circle. Now."

Derek spun on his heel and was in the circle with Stiles in a few short steps. For the second time that night, he re-traced the symbol on the floor. This time he was prepared for the snap of power and the smell of cinnamon.

The red head started speaking, "You shouldn't have done that. Kieron, here, will wipe the floor with you."

Deaton smiled. "That would be difficult considering that we burned out his ability to use magic."

Kieron took a hard look at Deaton. "Just who are you?"

"Me? I'm just a veterinarian."

The short guy looked like he'd remembered something. "A vet? Last name of Deaton?"

Deaton nodded. "Yes."

The guy took a step back. "Kieron, we may want to reconsider this. Call Jacey back."

The boss snapped at him and dropped all pretenses of being friendly. "No! I'll have that little bastard's head for he did to me tonight." He glowered at Deaton. "That kid is mine. He burned out half our group, and I will have him. You can either give him to me, or I'll take him."

The other man looked between Deaton and Kieron. "I'm out. I've heard of this guy and I'm not doing this." He nodded at the vet. "I'm walking away. No hard feelings, ok?"

Deaton nodded. "No problem." He looked back at Kieron. "You really might want to reconsider this. I'm not actually the one you need to be worried about." He jerked his head in the direction of Scott and Derek. "I can't say the same for them."

"I'm not afraid of any of you!" He clicked a button on the cell phone he'd had concealed in his jacket. The wolves heard a phone ring outside, and then chaos erupted. Something came flying through the window, shattering the glass, and spraying fire everywhere. Evidently the circle only protected against magic, because sparks sprayed inside the circle. Derek shuddered, but hunched over Stiles, protecting him from the flames.

Kieron gave an evil smile. "Either you give him to us, or you can all burn to death. Your choice


	6. Chapter 6

**Magic's Call**by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing. Canon level violence._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 6/25

Derek felt Stiles stiffen a bit as he came to awareness. It spoke to the number of life and death situations that he'd been in that his only reaction to the chaos was a slow blink, and a muttered, "Seriously? I go to sleep and you set my apartment on fire?"

He glanced at Derek and then his gaze flicked around. He took in the second, larger circle. "Deaton drop the barrier?" At Derek's nod, he pulled a cell phone out of his back pocket. "The fire extinguisher's on the wall over there." Derek hesitated. "Go! I'm fine."

The alpha carefully set Stiles down and stepped through the circle. He ripped the fire extinguisher off the wall, not caring that he pulled the screws out of the plaster. As he sprayed the fire, he could hear Stiles calling 911. He looked over to see that Scott and Deaton had taken out the two men by the door.

Deaton set Scott to cleaning up all signs of the rituals. He knelt in front of Stiles, "It'll be a little hard to explain the IV. I'm going to take it out." By the time the police and fire tucks arrived, the fire was out and all signs of the supernatural had been removed. A small amount of blood was dripping from the back of Stile's hand, but that was easily explained by the amount of broken glass laying around.

The official story that emerged was that Stiles had met these people, realized they were a cult, and left. Scott, Derek, and Deaton had come to help Stiles move. They'd gotten caught in the middle when the cult had showed up. The red haired guy, evidently named John, wasn't very bright. He'd tried telling the truth. He went on about how Stiles was a Spark and that his group had wanted his power. After that little revelation, the police didn't ask much else.

One of the paramedics had been very concerned about how pale Stiles was. He did some fast talking to convince the man that he had chronic fatigue syndrome, and that he wasn't going into shock. It didn't help his case that when he'd tried to stand up, he'd ended up having to sit right back down and had turned rather gray.

Derek hovered and glowered. It was strangely sweet and creepy at the same time. Stiles was pretty sure that the paramedic was terrified of the alpha by the time he'd left.

After everybody was gone, Stiles looked around at the mess. "Well, there goes my deposit." He spotted the table. "Hey, the food survived!"

He went to stand up and before he could get more than a few inches off the chair, Derek shoved him right back down. "Stay."

Stiles snorted in amusement. "I'm already sitting. Going to ask me to roll over next?"

Scott just shook his head. "The dog jokes got old a long time ago. You know that, right?"

"Nah! Never."

Derek dropped a container and a fork in Stiles' lap. "Eat."

"Dude! What's with the monosyllabic commands?" Derek glared at him and stabbed a finger in the direction of the food.

Stiles opened the container. "Oh my God, Kung Pao. My favorite! Ok. I forgive you. We'll teach you whole sentences later." He dug in with relish.

"So what now?" Scott looked at the broken window, scorched floor, and fire retardant everywhere.

"Other than my clothes, I don't care about the rest. I got most of it at Good Will and garage sales."

"Can I have the couch? I like the couch!", Scott asked.

"Sure, dude, whatever. I don't think it'll fit in my jeep though."

The young werewolf grabbed another container of food and sat down. "So we'll rent a truck. No biggie. Can't you get them for like twenty dollars or something?"

"I think that's local only. I've probably got enough left in my bank account to cover it though." A thought occurred to him. "Shit. I haven't really thought much beyond getting away. I figured that I could crash with you for a bit, but I'll need to find a summer job."

"You're not working until you get better.", Derek stated flatly.

"See! You **can** speak in whole sentences." Stiles grinned. He shook his head and went on, "I have to. I lost my job when they kept harassing me at work. I don't even have enough money to get through the summer. I'll get my scholarships and loans at the beginning of next semester, but that's not until September. I'll be fine. I can do this."

"Derek is right, Stiles. It's going to take you a while. I've seen this before. It can take years for a full recovery. You'll get better a lot faster because of your bond to Derek, but you can't push too hard. You could kill yourself." Deaton seemed very serious.

Stiles kind of sunk into himself. "Then that leaves going to my dad's. He'd let me stay, I know he would, but then I'd be dragging the supernatural to his doorstep again. Let's face it, I'm a magnet for weird things. There's been werewolves, kanimas, magic, zombie-Peter, hunters, evil grandfathers who spit black goo and keep on ticking, roving bands of alphas..."

Derek knelt in front of Stiles and gently grabbed his arms, which had been waving wildly. "Shut up. You can stay with me."

"That's cool and all, but the last I knew, you were STILL living in a falling down wreck of a house. Not to mention, Peter! I refuse to live with a zombie! Also? This morning you were still pretending that I wasn't your mate. It's awesome that you've accepted it and all, and that I don' have to wait another two years, but seriously? You've gone from ignoring me to wanting me to move in!"

Derek tipped forward and allowed his head to thunk softly onto Stiles' chest. He closed his eyes and confessed, "The last time I fell in love...the last time I trusted somebody in that way...I was sixteen. I was the age you were when I met you. She...Kate...was in her twenties. I trusted her, and she ended up destroying everyone I loved."

Stiles whispered, "Kate? Oh my god. Are you talking about Kate Argent?"

Derek could only nod.

"Holy crap!", Scott was stunned. "So that entire time I was dating Allison, it was like seeing history repeat itself. And that time that you told me that I was too young to know what love was, you were trying to protect me?" Scott started re-examining all his memories in light of what he'd just heard. "Whoa. I'm not sure why you never killed me, especially after you thought I'd actually betrayed the pack to Grandpa Argent."

"Believe me, the thought crossed my mind." Derek could feel Stiles' fingers running though his hair. It should have been irritating, but instead it was comforting.

"I'm not Kate. After all this time, you should know that." Stiles didn't sound angry, just a little sad.

Dr. Deaton addressed him, "I'm not sure that he saw you as being like her. Derek, you saw yourself as Kate, didn't you? Older, more experienced. You were afraid of hurting Stiles."

Derek clenched the arm of the chair. He didn't want to do this. He'd been avoiding this for years. He'd been running from everything that he'd ever wanted, and he'd lose it if he didn't do this. "Both, damn it! Stiles is human. I was afraid to trust anyone again, but especially a human with no blood ties to the pack."

He was breathing heavily, his head still leaning against Stiles. He could feel the wood under his hand start to give, and abruptly loosened his grip when his mate's hand covered his own. He let himself be soothed by that touch. "I knew it the moment I first saw him in the woods. But he was so damn young. And human. Too fragile for our world, and yet he kept saving us all. How could I do that to him? How could I saddle a kid with this life?"

Stiles could feel fine tremors running through the alpha's body. He was amazed at Derek's control. Scott would have wolfed out by now. He wrapped his arms around him. "I'm not a kid anymore, Derek, and I chose a long time ago."

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

Magic's Call by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 7/25

They all sat in silence for a while, recuperating from the long day.

In the morning, they'd start to deal with all of this. Deaton decided to sleep on the couch, and Stiles directed him to where he kept spare blankets. Derek, Stiles, and Scott piled into the bed, with Stiles tucked in between the wolves. He was asleep quickly, feeling safe and warm. Scott fell asleep next, and Derek watched over them. Eventually, he too rested.

He woke up gradually. During the night, Stiles had curled into him, and Scott had flipped onto his back, taking up over half the bed. He could hear the vet moving around in the other room. He slid out of bed, being careful not to disturb the two young men. As he padded out to the living room, he could see that Deaton had been busy. The apartment had been cleaned up and piles of packing supplies were waiting.

" Good morning! Breakfast is on the table. There's fresh coffee on the counter." The older man smiled. "I've reserved a truck. We can return it to the Beacon Hills location."

Derek grabbed some coffee and sipped at it before checking out the food. "Scott took a bus here, didn't he?" The vet nodded. "One of us will have to leave our car here since Stiles in in no shape to drive."

Deaton agreed. "We'll take Stiles' jeep to the rental place. I've ordered car dollies put on the jeep and the rental truck. I'll drive the truck with my car in tow, and Scott can drive the jeep with the camaro. That leaves you free to deal with Stiles."

"Why not tow one car? I can drive the camaro and Stiles can ride with me. "

The vet's gaze sharpened, "Derek, I want you to be able to focus on Stiles' right now. You have to understand how serious his condition is. He has no reserves left; physical or otherwise."

Scott's voice came from the bedroom as he threw on his shirt and entered the conversation, "What does that mean?"

"Stiles' energy has been systematically drained from him. He mentioned that they sent spells his way, and I'm going to make an educated guess that some of them were designed to injure. Not in a physical way, perhaps, but to hurt him in other ways."

Scott's thought for a moment, "In gaming terms, he's taken spell damage."

"Yes. Physically; this has led to exhaustion and weight loss. It wouldn't take much to overstress his system. However, he's young and he has resources that most people don't have. Stiles will be fine. We'll all make sure of that. Mostly he needs to relax, rest, and build his strength back up."

"Right."

After that, Scott got down to eating, and the three of them started packing. They had everything boxed except the bedroom and bathroom when the time the wolves heard Stiles heartbeat change. "He's awake." Derek headed towards the room, but Deaton grabbed his arm.

He handed the alpha his keys. "You and Scott run to the rental place. It's three blocks over. You should have passed it on the way here. Everything's paid for and it's in your name."

Derek gave him a penetrating look. He must have trusted what he was seeing because he nodded. "Let's go, Scott."

The beta looked back at his boss before leaving. Deaton gave him a small smile. "It's ok."

Scott smiled back. "Yeah. Ok." He shut the door behind him.

When Deaton entered the bedroom, Stiles was wobbling at the edge of the bed. "Hey, man! Look at me, I'm a weeble! "

"Unlike a weeble, I think you're about to fall down. Where are you heading; bathroom or kitchen?"

Stiles decided on both and Deaton helped Stiles to the bathroom door. He waited, and then helped him to the kitchen. Stiles ate and Deaton filled him in on the plan.

"Thanks for helping out. I owe you for the truck. How much was it?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll take it out of Scott's pay." The vet gave a little smile that belied that statement.

"You know, I'm still not sure what you are. You have to be losing money with the amount of mountain ash and medical supplies you've used on us. You put up with a bunch of teenaged werewolves, and man, you put up with Scott during his Allison phase! That either means you're a saint or that you're waiting to lull us into a false sense of security before you lay the whammy on us all!"

Deaton chuckled. "It's certainly been interesting." He leaned forward. "Look, I wanted to talk to you before Derek gets back."

"It's about the mate thing, isn't it?

"Partially, yes. It's also about the magical bond that you've formed with Derek." He watched Stiles eyes widen and held up a hand to cut him off before he could get excited. "And no, you're still not a psychic vampire. Both connections are good thing. Derek needs them. He's held himself apart for too long. He needs to feel connected and you can help him with that. Did you know that he's having the house demolished?"

Stiles shook his head. "No. I had no idea. We really haven't talked much."

"Have you wondered why that is? Or why he let the whole pack leave?"

"I mean, yeah, I wondered. He was so into building a pack but then he just cut us all loose, you know? It was weird. But Scott's still there, so I figured it was fine."

"He's been disconnecting, Stiles, and that's bad for a werewolf. Especially an alpha. They need to have the connection of pack, territory, and home. He's lost or let go of all of those but hasn't made any meaningful attempts to create new ones. I'm quite pleased that he's accepted the bond to you."

"So you're saying that he needs me as much as I need him, right?"

"Pretty much. Yes. You need to rest and recover. Let him help you."

"Sourwolf needs me? Well, I have saved that sexy werewolf ass of his a lot. I think the count was twenty two to eighteen for saves."

"Twenty to nineteen." Derek said, as he and Scott walked in.

"I've still saved you more."

"Yesterday counted for two, so it's twenty to twenty one"

"No! Scott and Deaton knocked out the bad guys, so that doesn't count. Twenty and twenty. We're even! HA!"

Derek quirked a smile. "By the way, I heard the 'sexy ass' comment."

Scott groaned, "Yeah, me too. Can we just not talk about it and get to loading the truck?"

With two werewolves on board, moving was a breeze. Stiles was pretty sure they never even broke a sweat, and it was amusing watching Scott coo over the couch. Derek glared when Scott told him to be careful not to damage it for the fifth time.

Stiles must have conked out for while, because he woke to the scent of curly fries being waved under his nose. He looked up and realized the place was bare except for the chair he was napping in. He snatched the fries from Derek, and amidst eating fries he asked, "You do have a place for us to live, right?"

Derek just rolled his eyes. "No, Stiles, I have a cardboard box on the street."

Fries fell out of his mouth as his jaw dropped open in shock. "Oh. My. God. You cracked a joke!" He looked over at Scott. "Is that Derek? Sniff him! Make sure he's not a pod person!"

The alpha reached into a bag and handed him a sandwich. "Just eat your food so we can get out of here."


	8. Chapter 8

Magic's Call by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 8/25

They made it back to Beacon hills by mid afternoon, and pulled up to a tiny house not far from the woods. Stiles gave Derek a questioning look and the alpha just shrugged. "Rental."

The place was bare. There was no furniture, no dishes in the sink, nothing to mark it as somebody's home. A black garbage bag lay to one side, partially filled with empty take out cartons. As he got Scott to help him look around, the sole signs of habitation were in the bedroom. There was an old mattress on the floor, and a stack of neatly folded clothes in the corner.

As the only remotely comfortable spot to sit, Scott eased him down onto the mattress.

He spent some time staring at the emptiness of the room and then let himself flop back. He could smell faint traces of smoke and mildew. "Ok. No. That's just gross!"

After some serious effort, he got himself upright and started to shuffle shakily towards the bedroom door. He could see Derek stalking across the apartment towards him, a scowl firmly affixed on his face. Before the alpha could start yelling at him, he waved a hand at the mattress, "Please, please, please tell me that's not the mattress from your old house. It is, isn't it? That, my friend, is tragic. I refuse...hey! Put me down! I'm not a damsel in distress. Derek! Seriously, knock it off!"

He found himself about to be placed back on the mattress.

"Come on, man! Your mattress reeks. It has mold. It's a health hazard! You're a werewolf, so of course it doesn't hurt you. Fragile human here! That thing will poison me. Oh. Wait. Probably a bad time to remind you of being human. Or fragile. Which I'm not, by the way. Totally not fragile!"

Derek stomped outside, still carrying Stiles. He told Scott, "Bring in one of the stuffed chairs. Now!"

He walked back inside and waited. Scott couldn't help grinning at Stiles' predicament. He put the chair in the living room and started laughing when Stiles gave him the finger. He left and Derek firmly deposited the young man in the chair. He leaned forward and growled, ""Do. Not. Get. Up. You will stay right here. Got it?"

"Or what? Seriously, I know you won't hurt me. You're all growl and no bite."

Derek scrubbed a hand across his face. "Just stay put. I'll get rid of the mattress." He glared at Stiles. "I almost forgot how much of a pain in the ass you are."

His father and Scott had affectionately called him that so many times that his automatic response just sort of slipped out, "But you love me anyway!" The moment he said it, he froze and cursed his lack of a verbal filter.

Derek seemed frozen, and Stiles was sure that he was about to be kicked out. He couldn't have been more surprised when a vulnerable expression crossed the older man's face. Then Derek gave a quick nod and practically ran away. Stiles sat there in shock, and eventually muttered, "Huh."

He watched as his things started filling in the empty spaces. It turned out that Derek had no dishes. None. Not a single pot, plate, or utensil. As soon as the overprotective wolf let him, he was going to start cooking. A constant diet of take out had to be bad, even for a werewolf.

The old mattress got carried out and his bed got set up in it's place. The dresser got moved in, and he harassed Scott into taking him into the bedroom. There was something sad about that little pile of clothes sitting in the corner. Stiles couldn't stand it and made space in his dresser for them.

Eventually they were all unloaded. The camaro got wheeled off the dolly and parked in front of the house. Scott and Deaton left with the rental truck and the jeep, with a promise to drop Stiles' jeep off later. That left Stiles, still sitting in the chair, and Derek standing in the the doorway. "So..."

"What?" Derek shut the door and walked further in.

"Do you want to talk about this?"

"No."

"Ooo-kay. How about we go grocery shopping? We have no food."

"Make a list."

"Do you have internet?"

"No."

"You have to be kidding me. How do you check your emails? Do you check your email? Have I been sending you funny emails for the last two years, only for them to have gotten lost in the ether? Not cool."

Derek waved him phone at him. "I've read them."

"Do you have cable? Tell me you have cable!"

"No."

Stiles groaned. "How do you function without internet and cable? You need to get them." When Derek gave him his best blank face, Stiles pleaded, "I'll go through withdrawal. How will I do research? And WoW! My guild will think I abandoned them!"

"Fine! If I promise to get cable and internet, will you shut up?"

"Umm...no. Probably not." Stiles grinned unrepentantly.

Derek rolled his eyes, "I guess that was too much to hope for."

"Pretty much, yeah. You had to have known that."

Derek sat on the floor in front of Stiles. He released a tired sounding sigh. "You really do talk to much."

"Yeah."

When Stiles started carding his hair with his fingers, Derek relaxed a fraction. "I don't mind you talking. Just..."

"You're not ready to talk about it," and he makes a gesture that sort of encompasses them and everything else, "and that's okay. We don't have to right now."

"Thanks."

"Sure thing."

The two of them sat there in companionable silence. For once, Stiles didn't fill the spaces between them with chatter. He just sat there, running his hands through Derek's hair and felt at peace. It was kind of nice.

He lost track of how long they sat there like that, but at some point Derek quietly let him know, "Scott's here with your jeep."

A minute later, he heard the door of the jeep slam shut. Scott walked in. He had that look on his face that meant he'd done something that he knew Stiles would be upset about. "Stiles...um." He gave his best 'please don't be pissed at me' look. "Man, I'm sorry! Your dad saw me driving your jeep and pulled me over. I didn't know what to tell him and I sort of told him that you're here. He's on his way right now."

Even Stiles could hear the sound of a car pulling up outside. He really didn't want to deal with this right now. He let his head thump back against the chair. "Shit."

He heard the car door shut and his father's familiar steps. Then, his dad was silhouetted in the door. His voice was painfully neutral, "Stiles."


	9. Chapter 9

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing._

Note: because of this chapter I'm raising the rating to an "M" just to be safe. There is some sexual content but nothing explicit.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

_Chapter 9/25_

"Hi Dad."

The Sheriff took a step forward and looked at Derek. "Mr. Hale."

"Sheriff Stilinski."

Stiles hands dropped to his shoulders, keeping Derek in place when he would have stood. He saw the man register the interaction, but he gave no other outer response.

"When did you get back to town, Stiles?"

"Today. A couple of hours ago. Um... Not long."

The sheriff nodded. "You've lost weight. Are you sick?"

"No. Well...yes. Sort of. Chronic fatigue syndrome. I'll be fine."

His father just looked at him for several seconds, not saying anything, almost as if weighing options. "You're welcome to stay in your own room."

"I know, but Derek has the space and he offered to let me stay. He and Scott will make sure that I'm ok."

"I'm told that I have them to thank for looking after you last night, too."

"Huh? Well, they came and helped me move and pack,. That was a big help."

His dad just gave him that look. "I had Marge tag your name in the database when you left for college, Stiles. Last night, your name and address came up for a 911 call on the registry."

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I'm ok. Everything's fine. No harm, no foul!"

There was silence. Sheriff Stilinksi took a breath and opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. "Scott, Mr. Hale, thank you for taking care of my son. I have to get back to work. Stiles... Take it easy. You look like hell."

With that, he left.

Scott let go of the breath he'd been holding. "That was intense. I'm so sorry. Really."

Stiles let himself sag into the chair. "It's not your fault. He would have found out anyway. There's a reason why he's the sheriff."

Derek reached up and covered one of Stiles hand with his. "He loves you. I can smell it on him."

"I know. I know he does, and he'd throw himself in front of all the supernatural shit that comes my way just to protect me. I can't let that happen."

Scott grinned, "Like that makes him much different than you? You've spent the last 4 years throwing yourself into danger, and you're not even trained with a gun."

Derek turned a little to look up at Stiles. "You may want to consider telling him. It's tearing you up that you're lying and pushing him away. I can feel the hurt in you."

"Yeah, and the concern was rolling off him in waves." Scott rubbed his nose. "He was scared when he pulled me over and you weren't in the jeep. Just now when he acted all cool? He was worried."

"Guys, I know you're trying to help but I can't. Once you know about all of this, it's never the same. I can't lose him, too."

He closed his eyes. "I'm tired. Derek, I'd like to go lay down."

He didn't protest when Derek carried him to the bedroom. The alpha's voice was as gentle as he'd ever heard it, "Just consider it. Having the right knowledge could save his life. You always think you have forever, Stiles, but it can end before you know it. If you had died yesterday, do you think he wouldn't have lived the rest of his life with regrets?"

Derek could smell the tang of salt water. Stiles was crying silently. He laid them down and just held Stiles in his arms. Derek slid his hand along the cool, smooth skin of Stiles' stomach. He willed comfort and energy down the bond to his mate. Stiles settled into a doze and Derek stayed with him, still trying to feed as much down the connection as possible.

Stiles woke to full dark. He had a moment of disorientation and he couldn't remember where he was. Then it clicked. Derek. He was at Derek's house, with the alpha spooned around him.

"Feel better?" Derek's voice was quiet and soft.

Stiles took stock. "Yeah. I think so. I could use a shower and some food, though. I bet I'm getting a bit pungent to your sensitive werewolf nose."

"You smell good. Like warm cinnamon rolls, just out of the oven. Your magic smells like cinnamon, too."

"Cinnamon? I didn't know magic had a smell."

" It's a smell-sense kind of thing. Your magic smells of cinnamon and feels warm. The magic around your apartment felt very heavy and smelled kind of like ozone."

"So you could tell somebody's magic by how it feels and smells? Is everybody different?"

"I haven't run into it a lot, but so far, yes."

"I'll have to write that in my notes. Maybe we can experiment with it some time."

"Maybe. Let's get you up, though. We haven't eaten since we left your apartment."

Stiles poked Derek in the arm as the alpha knelt on the bed and scooped him up. "So is this your grand plan? Carry me around and shovel food in my mouth? And how in the hell can you see where you're going? It's pitch black in here!"

"Stiles. I'm a werewolf. I can see in the dark." He turned sideways to get through a door. "Watch your eyes. I'm turning on the light."

The light flicked on and Stiles was nearly blinded. Derek's eyes were closed and then he blinked them a few times, adjusting.

Stiles sat on the closed toilet lid and watched Derek adjust the shower. When the temperature was to his satisfaction, he began stripping.

"Ohmygod! Whoa! What the hell?" Stiles made a show of covering his eyes, but peeked between his fingers. Derek caught him watching with a knowing smirk, and Stiles felt himself blush to the tip of his ears.

"You could pass out in the shower."

It was one of the most awkward (and awesome) moments of his life to have Derek Hale standing in front of him, nude, and divesting Stiles of his clothes. It was the stuff dreams were made of, only he'd never imagined it happening because Derek was playing nursemaid. That part was a little, well...more than a little...disappointing.

After he'd been stripped and left feeling woefully inadequate, he was helped over the edge of the tub and into the shower. He stood under the spray and and it felt great to wash away the last few days of dirt. When he was done, Derek switched sides and began to lather up. Suds dripped down the channels of his rippled abdomen, and Stiles couldn't help blurting, "You're so stupidly gorgeous that it's not even fair!"

Derek's gave a smile that stunned Stiles. His eyes crinkled and everything. Stiles thought he might be willing to do anything just the see that smile again. Derek reached over and ran a finger along Stiles' arm. "There's nothing wrong with the way you look, Stiles."

"Uhhh...right," He waved a hand at Derek's sculpted form and pointed back at himself. "No comparison, dude! I've always been kind of skinny and now I'm just...skinnier!"

Derek stepped right into his space and his hands skimmed down Stiles' sides to his hips. "Yes, you're thin." One of his hands played over the prominent hip bone. "But you still have all those lean, long muscles." Fingers traced up Stiles' back. "You may have tried to hide under all those layers, but I could always see the strength in you."

Since Derek was touching him, he figured that he was allowed to touch right back. He ran his fingers along the alpha's stomach, tracing the lines of hard muscle. Derek made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled Stiles in. His lips were wet from the shower and so very warm. It was a tentative, gentle press until Stiles responded. The kiss deepened and Stiles nipped on Derek's bottom lip. He responded with a low growl and the hard press of his body. Derek slowly ended the kiss, pulling back gently. He touched their foreheads together, still holding Stiles close. He asked, "You okay?"

"I'm great. I'm fantastic. Tell me we're doing that again!"

"Yeah. We will." He laid a light kiss on Stiles' mouth and stepped back. "Let's dry off and get dressed. There's a 24 hour diner off the interstate."

He finished rinsing off and Stiles took the opportunity to ogle Derek to his heart's content. He thought that he could get used to this!


	10. Chapter 10

**Magic's Call **by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

Spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf  
**

Chapter 10/25

A consequence of Stiles sleeping when his body demanded it, rather than being on a normal schedule, was that he no longer had any idea of what time it was when he woke up. The trip to the diner had gone reasonably well, with only one minor blip, and they'd gotten home around 3 am. With no cable or internet to help him stay awake, he was back out by 4 am. Right now he knew that it was daytime. Other than that? Nope. No clue.

He heard voices and he was pretty sure that was Mrs. McCall. Curious, he slid out of bed. This time he made it all the way to the bedroom door before Derek was on him like a hawk, swooping in for its prey. Ignoring Derek's scowl and the indignity of being carried, he spotted Scott's mom. "Hey, Mrs. McCall! How's it going?"

She smiled warmly, "Stiles! I wanted to stop in before work and say hi! I've heard you've been getting yourself into trouble."

"Well, you know me."

"Yes, I do. You and Scott gave me a lot of gray hairs with your antics."

"You're just as beautiful as ever, Mrs. McCall!"

She shook her head. "I'm glad to see you, honey. Scott seems convinced that you're going to keel over." She gave her stern 'mom' look. "You have your dad pretty worried, too. Badly enough that he swung by to ask me to come check on you."

She swung her stethoscope from around her shoulders. "Scott and Derek both mentioned that your heartbeat was erratic two days ago. Let me have a listen."

She warmed it up and slid it underneath his shirt. "Sounds good. Scott said you were dehydrated and that can cause arrhythmia." She wrapped her stethoscope back up. "Scott mentioned that you were pretty shaky.", Mrs. McCall waved at Derek, still standing there, "And I would guess that Derek agrees. Any dizzy spells? Fainting?"

"Nope. All good."

"Stiles." Derek's tone was flat and commanding.

"Ok. So I may have tripped a little this morning, but that's all it was."

"You didn't trip, Stiles. You were being stubborn." He turned to Scott's mom. "He insisted on walking without help once we got inside the diner, and he went down. He took out a waiter carrying a tray of food."

"Hmmm. He didn't hit his head, did he?"

"No. I caught him."

"Good. Ok, lets sit down."

Everybody got situated. "Look, I'd say to go to a doctor but I know this isn't a normal medical condition. Honestly, chronic fatigue syndrome is a decent cover." Mrs. McCall shook her head. "Your dad is suspicious. Some things don't match up and he's a smart man. He's also a parent, and he cares about you. Stiles, honey, I think it's time. I thought it was time years ago."

Stiles didn't respond and Scott's mom looked at him sadly. "I can be here for some big reveal, if you think it will help. Scott can, too." He remained silent. "I don't think it'll be as horrible as you fear. I think he'll handle this fine."

Mrs. McCall stood up and ruffled his hair. "I have to go to work now. Scott's coming by later. Stay out of trouble."

Stiles stayed quiet. Probably not a good sign, all things considered, so Derek decided to cheer him up. "I've got somebody coming today to set up cable and internet. They're supposed to come between four and six pm. "

"Thanks, Derek."

Derek squeezed Stiles' shoulder. "I went shopping while you slept. How about you teach me how to cook?"

Stiles got to boss Derek around. He decided on breakfast foods, even though it was two in the afternoon. It was breakfast time to him, so breakfast it was. Stiles showed him how to whisk eggs (and not cover half the kitchen with goo. Sometimes werewolf strength isn't a good thing), pointed out the right ratio of bubbles that indicated when to flip pancakes, and explained in great detail the perfection of bacon.

Derek got the place cleaned up just in time for the cable guy to arrive. The alpha had evidently anticipated Stiles' needs, because a wireless system was installed. The cable man was pretty good and made sure everything was hooked up and working before he left.

Stiles was already online by the time the installation guy pulled out of the driveway. "Sweet, sweet internet!" He petted his computer. Derek refused to let him sit at the desk with a growled, "You're lucky I'm not making you stay in bed!", so he was curled up in the easy chair.

He was catching up on his backlogged emails. Derek was reading a book, and raised his head. "Your dad is coming."

"Shit. I guess the universe is trying to tell me something. Or trying to get me to tell something. Someone. Whatever. But does it have to be **right now**? Can't it wait a week or three?"

When Derek opened the door for the sheriff, he noticed that he wasn't in uniform. He waved the man in. "Come on in, Sheriff Stilinski."

Stile's dad nodded at him. "Mr. Hale."

"Hey, dad. This your day off?"

"I left early. I was told that you collapsed at the trucker joint this morning."

"Geez. I tripped. Why is everybody making such a big deal about me tripping? I do it all the time!"

The sheriff sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He turned to Derek, "Mind if I sit down?"

"No, go ahead. Sorry. I should have offered."

"Holy crap, Derek! I go away for two years and you suddenly develop a sense of humor and manners? Either that or I've fallen into an alternate universe. I'm still not ruling out pod person!"

"Stiles." Derek gave his mate a mild glare.

Sheriff Stilinski silently appraised Derek, then turned back to Stiles. He sat without speaking, just taking in the sight of his son. A minute or so ticked by and Stiles started to fidget underneath his stare. "I know you're involved in something. I've known you've been into something big since you were sixteen. I just couldn't figure out what it was. I ruled out drugs. I considered gang activity for a lot of reasons, but that didn't quite fit either."

"Dad…"

"No. Let me speak. I'm pretty sure that I came close to losing you." He closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "Hell, son, judging by the look of you; I still might lose you. I don't know how sick you really are. You shut me out years ago and I let you. It was easier. Your mom would be so disappointed in me…"

"Dad, don't!"

"Stiles." His dad's voice was firm, "I can't make you tell me what's going on. You're an adult now and I can't control what you do. I never really could, to be honest. You've always been so independent and headstrong, just like your mother. But I need to know what's wrong with you. I failed in a lot of ways, and I know it, but I need to know how bad this is. I **need **to, Stiles, do you understand that?"

"Yeah. I get that, dad. I do." He looked at Derek, and his mate nodded at him. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Where to start?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 11 of 25

It was to Stiles' dismay that Derek put a temporary hold on the proceedings. "_You_ said I should tell him! What gives? I finally decide to do this after 4 years of angst and drama and now you decide to tell me to wait..."

Derek ignored it as Stiles kept complaining. The Sheriff was watching him closely, and only occasionally glancing at Stiles. He addressed Stile's dad, "What I'm going to do might seem rude or upsetting to you, but I assure you that my only intention right now is to protect Stiles."

Sheriff Stilinski looked cautious, and Stiles' babbling had stopped. He gave his mate a funny look and wasn't assured by what he was seeing. "Derek? What are you going to do?"

"Hold on to your computer."

"What?!"

"Hold. on. to. Your. Computer." He bent and started to reach for Stiles.

"Oh crap! Not in front of my dad...OHMYGOD, you are a neanderthal!" Derek had picked him up, computer and all. The alpha gave the Sheriff a significant glance, and headed to the bedroom. Mr. Stilinski got up and followed them in.

"This is so embarrassing! I am going to find baby pictures of you and post them across the internet. Then I'm going hack your email and send all your contacts the most embarrassing emails, EVER. I will get your car painted powder pink and put flower decals on it. I'll hang fuzzy dice from your rear view mirror. PINK fuzzy dice!"

Derek sat with his back to the headboard, pulling Stiles to rest against him. Once he'd gotten them settled, after a few elbows to the ribs from an unappreciative Stiles, he waved to the sheriff to sit.

The older man's face was was a study of concern warring with amusement. He sat down by the foot of the bed and watched this unfold. He didn't fail to note that both of Derek's hands slid under Stiles' shirt; one over the chest and one over his abdomen. It caused his son's shirt to ride up, and what he was seeing wasn't easing his anxiety any.

He could see the bottom of Stile's rib cage protrude sharply over the concave plane of his stomach. He was brutally reminded of his wife's dying days. "Stiles, son, is it cancer?" His voice caught and broke on that last word.

"God, dad, NO! No. It's not cancer."

"Then just tell me what it is!" Derek could smell the fear rolling off the man. "Stiles. Please. Just tell me."

"Dad..." Stiles reached his hand out tentatively for his father, and Sheriff Stilinki quickly moved close enough to grab it. He was sitting right by Derek's leg and he could feel Stile's dad shaking. "If I told you without an explanation, you'd have me committed. I kind of have to tell the story and work my way to it, ok? But seriously, I'm not dying. I'll be fine. I mean it."

Sheriff Stilinski didn't look reassured, but he let Stiles continue.

"Do you remember the night when you caught me running around in the woods, looking for Laura Hale's body?"

"What does that have to..."

"Dad! Do you remember?!"

"Vividly. Yes. Why?"

"I wasn't alone that night. Scott was with me."

"I knew it! I knew he had to be there somewhere. Ok. Go on."

He looked at his dad seriously. "This is where it gets weird, and if you can get past this, the rest is easy. Scott got bitten that night...by a werewolf."

Sheriff Stilinki stared at his son, looking for the joke. He knew his son had gotten good at lying, but he held no trace of deception on his face. More telling was that Derek hadn't even twitched at the word 'werewolf'. In fact, Derek looked straight at him and nodded.

He sat there, letting pieces fall into place in his brain. The people supposedly killed by animals, Stiles turning up at gruesome crime scenes, and all the random weirdness that had plagued the town. He could sense Stiles getting anxious for a response. "Scott's a ...werewolf?"

"Yeah. He is. It's kind of cool."

"So him suddenly getting better at lacrosse?"

"Wolfy ability. Yup."

"But you're not a werewolf? Or are you?"

"No. 100% human."

The Sheriff looked at Derek. "What about you?"

"Werewolf."

"That explains a few things." Derek quirked a smile at that. Mr. Stilinski focused back on his son. "Alright. Werewolves. So what has that got to do with the 911 call the other night, your sudden return to Beacon Hills, and you collapsing at the diner?"

From there, Stiles continued explaining the next four years. Sheriff Stilinski gently interrogated his son. He wanted details and was putting all of the pieces into a cohesive picture. It took a while and it grew dark. Scott had come by, and was now laying next to Derek and Stiles on the bed, adding his comments and insights.

Stiles began to struggle to stay awake. His dad was still holding his hand, gently rubbing his thumb back and forth. The conversation was mostly being picked up by Derek and Scott. His mate spoke softly to him, "Rest. We've got this." Stiles looked to his dad and received a smile. He stopped fighting and let his eyes slide shut. Within one heartbeat to the next he was asleep.

His dad watched him sleep and spoke quietly, "So tell me how he's really doing."

"He's weak right now. He'd push too far if we let him."

The sheriff snorted at that. "Hasn't he always?" He motioned for Derek to continue.

"Deaton said that as long as he gets plenty of food and rest, he'll be fine."

"I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that we're allowing a veterinarian to treat my son."

Scott laughed quietly, trying not to disturb Stiles. "He's kept the rest of us alive for the last four years."

"So this thing where you touch Stiles, this is helping him?"

Derek had been carefully monitoring Stiles condition through all of his senses, including the bond. The conversation hadn't been nearly as stressful as he'd feared it would be. A worst case scenario had been an angry, upset Sheriff sending Stiles into a panic attack. Fortunately, that hadn't happened. Instead, it had been a good discussion with very little upset. This time had allowed more of Derek's energy to filter in and bolster Stiles.

"I wasn't sure how this conversation would go. We have to be very careful not to stress him too much. He had a panic attack the other day and it nearly killed him." They hadn't shared that with the Sheriff yet, and it obviously alarmed him. "Mrs. McCall said the arrhythmia was due to him being so dehydrated at the time, but the panic attack ..." He broke off.

"Werewolves are magical in their nature and Stiles has been called a 'spark' on several occasions. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I do know that he can do magic. His magic called to mine and formed a connection. Somehow, that connection allows us to share energy. I can give my energy to him and it helps him get stronger. Having skin to skin contact makes it work better. Deaton figured that out."

"And you're mates? What does that mean?"

"Werewolves can have mates. It doesn't always happen. Most form relationships just like humans do. Sometimes, though, we find a true mate. It's somebody who is our equal and compliments us. Mates are rare, but they're for life. Once a werewolf finds that, they never want anybody else."


	12. Chapter 12

**Magic's Call **by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 12 of 25

It was as if Stiles had come into Derek's house and filled everything up. It wasn't just the physical things like the furniture or dishes. His presence made the house someplace worth coming back to.

Scott had been over often, and Sheriff Stilinski was here when he wasn't working. The house was never silent anymore. During the day there was chatter and the sounds of electronic battles. Even in the darkest hours of the night, Stiles soft breathing filled his ears. He was quickly getting used to it and he was afraid.

He had something to lose again, and it terrified him.

Derek had left Stiles playing an online game while he went to watch the old house get demolished. He didn't tell Stiles. He knew the young man would have insisted on being there. In the month that he'd been back, he'd been growing steadily stronger, but he wasn't even close to the 'fine' that he kept insisting he was. Derek hadn't wanted Stiles to be standing there for hours, taxing his strength, just to watch the past crumble.

Derek's nose was filled with the scent of ashes and death when he drove up and realized that there was no heartbeat in the house. There was no sound of Stiles talking to his guildies on Ventrilo, no tv, no rustling of cloth against cloth, no breathing…nothing.

He'd later admit, if only to himself, that he'd left rational thought behind in that moment. His wolf howled in loss, and his brain hammered out worst case scenarios. What if Stiles had suddenly relapsed? Had he lay dying, alone in the house, while Derek had been gone? Derek ignored the front door, slammed right through it, and didn't care that he left shattered wood in his wake. He ran through the house, searching.

He found nothing, and circled for a moment. Had Stiles left him? No…there was his laptop. Had someone taken him? He wasn't smelling anyone who didn't belong. There were no signs of a struggle.

It was hard to track Stiles' scent in the house because the whole place was filled with him. It was everywhere; mingled with Scott and Sheriff Stilinski, twined with his. It was the smell of home, and safety, and _pack_.

He stepped outside and could pick up a fresh trail from the back yard. Derek followed it and…there! A heartbeat. Stiles' heartbeat, just at the edge of hearing from the back edge of the yard. If it had been anyone but Stiles, he wouldn't have been able to hear it, but he was attuned to Stiles. He knew that rhythm.

Before his brain registered that he was moving, he was running flat out. Dodging trees and jumping obstacles without thought, one thing filled his brain: Stiles.

Derek ran and was suddenly right there. Right next to Stiles who was sitting on a fallen tree, swinging his feet, and smiling at the antics of a squirrel. A squirrel that took one look at an oncoming werewolf and fled.

Derek stopped; went from a dead out run to a complete halt. Adrenaline still flooded his system, and upon seeing his mate, he felt a wild surge of relief that changed to irrational anger. Trying to get a hold of himself he dropped heavily to his knees.

"Derek? Hey, hey, what's up?" Distantly, past the thundering of his pulse in his ears, he could hear Stiles' footsteps coming closer. He felt his mate kneel in front of him and lay a hand on his face. One touch and Derek just…broke. He clutched at Stiles. Derek pushed right into the curve of Stiles' neck, breathing his scent in on ragged gasps of breath.

"Hey, no. No. It's ok, Derek." Derek's whole body was shuddering, and Stiles could only hold him tightly and keep reassuring him. "It's ok. I'm fine. It's ok. Shhhhh…"

It felt like an eternity to Stiles as his mate shook and gasped in his arms. An indeterminate time later, long after his legs had gone numb from being in the same position, he felt Derek begin to regain control. "You with me again? You ok?", he asked.

He felt Derek nod against his neck. "I thought… I thought... Stiles. …couldn't hear your heartbeat. Thought you were…dead. Or taken. Gone, maybe…"

"Oh God! I'm sorry! I just wanted some fresh air. I left you a note. Did you find my note? You didn't tell me where you were going, but you were gone a long time, so I thought you'd gone shopping. I put a note on the fridge. Even left a little drawing showing what direction I was going. I'm sorry! I didn't think I'd gone far. I thought you'd be able to smell me, or hear me, or sense me through the bond or something. God, Derek, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Derek just let Stiles keep babbling at him, soaking in the sound of his voice and the feel of him alive. Safe. His mate was safe. After a last deep breath, he relaxed and pulled back enough to look at Stiles. "I… I wasn't shopping. The house was demolished today. I had to see it. I had to be there."

Stiles looked at him, stunned. His voice came out in a harsh whisper, "And you came home to find me gone. Derek… No wonder you lost it. If I'd known, I'd never have left. I swear." He stopped. "No. No! If I'd know, I would have been with you. You shouldn't have been there alone, Derek. You shouldn't have been alone."

"I didn't want to risk it…all that dust and mold? Standing there for hours? It wouldn't have been good for you." Some of the anger returned. "You shouldn't have been out here by yourself, Stiles. Hell, you shouldn't be out here at all! What were you thinking?!"

Stiles sighed. "I've just been feeling kind of trapped lately." He felt Derek jerk, as if he'd been hit. "No, not trapped. Wrong word! Wrong word! Constrained. Confined. Hemmed in. Sort of. Not trapped…ok? Relax. Just, I wanted to go outside. I hate the fact that you and Dad are so worried, and that I can't do anything on my own. I wanted to enjoy some of the summer, you know? Feel the sun, enjoy the breeze, look up at the sky. I wanted to feel like I wasn't weak and useless. And I know how stupid that sounds because I had such a hard time just getting this far, but I hate it! I'm useless like this."

Derek pulled him close again. "Not useless. When I thought… When I pulled up and didn't hear your heartbeat and thought… I can't take that kind of loss again, Stiles. I can't. You're not useless!"

"I love you, too. Even if you can't say it in those words, I know it, and I love you too."

Derek laid a soft kiss on his neck. "We should head back. I need to get a new door."

"Why would? Oh." Stiles shook his head. "I'm not going to yell at you because of, well, circumstances. Next time… Geez, Derek, stop growling. Just use the door and don't destroy it, as I'm guessing you have. And for the record? I'm not going to stay in the house forever. Just so you know. So there will be a 'next time' in that you will come home and I will be at school, or work, or shopping, or with friends, and you **cannot** destroy the door every time that happens!"

Derek helped him to stand but his legs were rubbery. He rolled his eyes when Derek resorted to his default of late, and picked him up. "I can walk you know. My legs just fell asleep and are all pins and needles." As he spoke circulation began to return, "And holy God, pain! Pain!" Derek stopped and assessed him for a moment, decided he was being dramatic, and started moving again. "Sure! When I'm fine you don't believe me, and when I'm in agony you ignore me! I see how you are!"

"You're fine, Stiles."

The young man muttered, "Still hurts. Jerk."

Derek smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 13 of 25

Sheriff Stilinski was standing out front when they got back, staring at the wreckage of the door. "Has something happened that I need to be aware of?"

Stiles shook his head and elbowed Derek until he put him down. "No. I went for a walk and Derek freaked a little. He forgot how to use a door knob, evidently."

"Uh _huh_. I forget how strong being a werewolf makes you, Derek. You shattered the door frame."

"Crap! Seriously? That's going to be a pain in the ass to fix!" He stumbled a little going up the steps, and both men reached to steady him. He turned and fixed them with a stare. "Just chill, guys. I'm fine."

He inspected the damaged wood. "Derek, you'll need to take my jeep." He handed him a piece of the molding. "Here. Get molding that matches this. We need a new door. Obviously. Wood glue. Clamps. Paint." He tapped his finger on his chin. "Do we have a tape measure? No? Shit!"

The Sheriff had to ask, "I'm going to regret knowing the answer to this, but **_why_** do you know how to fix a door frame?"

"Oh. Um. Funny thing, that." Stiles wouldn't look at his dad.

"Go on."

"Yup, that's a parental voice, right there. Um, we, being Scott and I, but actually Scott was the one who did it, being a werewolf and all, and being pretty strong, as you noticed, so…"

"Stiles."

"Right. Well. Sometimes we had to get into places and Scott would kick down the door. Or sometimes yank doorknobs off. And there was that one time that he…"

His dad cut him off. "Yup. Didn't want to know; breaking and entering, damaging private property. Got it. I can't imagine you actually bothered to stick around and fix most of those, so whose door did you break that you bothered to repair?"

Stiles cringed. "Ours?"

"Our door. " The Sheriff said it flatly. "You have a key."

"Remember when I told you about the fairies? The bad ones. The Unseelie fae?"

"Yes."

"I may have forgotten to mention that one of them was holding me hostage, and normally Scott and Derek would just come through my bedroom window, but I'd locked it that morning. Because of the fae. But it had been waiting for me and sort of ambushed me when I came home. So they had to break down the door to come rescue me. But I fixed it!"

Stile's dad sighed and shook his head. "There is just so much wrong with that whole statement." He looked at Derek, "Including you entering the house through my then underage son's bedroom window." He sighed again. "Anyway, let's deal with this mess."

It took a few trips, and Derek refused to let Stiles out of his sight, so Sheriff Stilinski did most of the running around. By nightfall, they had the new door hung but it didn't shut all the way. Stiles still had clamps holding pieces of wood together. He insisted that the glue had to set.

"Oh hey! It's almost nine. Let me get my laptop. I have a surprise!"

He brought his laptop into the kitchen and set it up. He brought Derek in and made him sit down. "So, I've been bored and I've been emailing people. We've all agreed that Wednesday night will be pack night." He turned the laptop towards the alpha and there were several little windows open, all with various people. There was Lydia, Danny, Isaac, and surprisingly even Erica and Boyd.

A few minutes later, Scott came skidding in, "Sorry I'm late! What did I miss? And hey, what happened to the door?"

They spent hours catching up. Sheriff Stilinski joined in and they all had a lot of fun. There was a lot of bantering back and forth, good natured ribbing, and everybody thought this was great. Nobody seemed surprised about Derek and Stiles being together. In fact, the consensus was, "It's about time!".

Danny and Lydia were both home for the summer, and Derek gave the ok for them to come over and visit. They all agreed to get together sometime soon. The whole thing eventually wound down amidst yawns, and considering that Erica and Boyd were on the east coast, it was a lot later for them. They decided to make the weekly meeting a couple of hours earlier to accommodate them. That decided, they all logged off.

Scott decided to stay and crash in the living room and the Sheriff headed home. Stiles was exhausted and tumbled into bed. He felt the bed dip and Derek leaned into him, body supernaturally warm. Stiles cuddled into the warmth, feeling a little chilled. He could feel the rumble of Derek's voice when he asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Just kind of tired and sore. The walk was probably a bad idea, I admit, but I enjoyed it. Well, except the part where you freaked out."

"I want you to take it easy for the next few days, Stiles."

Stiles pulled his mate's arm around him. "Yeah. Ok."

"But if you want, I can take you out in the woods when it's nice. As long as you're having a good day and feeling all right."

"Really?! That would be awesome!"

"Just don't go without me. Not yet."

"Why not dad or Scott?"

"I trust your dad, but he's not strong enough. If something happened and you had to be carried back, he'd hurt himself trying."

"You know I'm a lot better, right? I walked a long way on my own today, and you guys don't have to help me around the house anymore."

"You get tired easily and you don't recover quickly. You still have random dizzy spells."

"He completely passed out four days ago!", Scott chimed in from the living room.

"There are moments that I hate werewolf hearing, damn it." He shouted back, "So not helping, Scott! Stop listening to our conversation, and definitely stop making Derek even more protective!" He focused back on his mate, who was scowling. "Deaton said that it's all normal and that I'm getting better a lot faster than he was expecting."

"And he also said that it would be months before you were back to normal. At least six, he said. Stop pushing it!"

Stiles grimaced. "So, back to my question. What about Scott? He'd have no problem getting me back home if something happened."

"I don't trust Scott's judgment."

"HEY! I can hear you, you know!" Scott sounded offended.

"Stiles is capable of convincing you to do things that compromise both of your safety. He's good at that." He glared at his mate.

"Yeah. That's kind of true."

Stiles huffed at Scott's response. "I'm going to pretend this conversation isn't happening. I'm going to sleep." He pulled a spare pillow over his head.

Derek removed it and kissed him. "Thanks for tonight. It was nice seeing them."

Stiles smiled as he drifted off. He was on the fuzzy edge of unconsciousness when Derek spoke again, so softly that he could barely hear it,"I love you."


	14. Chapter 14

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!**

Chapter 14 of 25

Lydia and Danny both became regular visitors, helping to alleviate Stiles' boredom and keep him out of trouble. Danny would bring his laptop and they'd play against each other on various games. The normally quiet and friendly Danny would curse and scream at the screen every time they played Left For Dead 2. The personality difference was startling, and everybody would stare at him in horror. Stiles started playing it more often, just to watch everybody else's reaction.

Lydia had gotten tired of Stiles constantly fidgeting with his overgrown hair. One day she dragged him off to get it trimmed. Stiles had thought that Derek's overprotective streak would have made it impossible, but all she had to do was point one perfect finger at the alpha and say, "He needs this!"

Lydia drove them around. "I want lunch, but I am not going anywhere with you looking like _that_." Stiles was trimmed, groomed, fitted, and polished. By the time Lydia was done running him from store to store, he almost didn't recognize himself. "Now you look trim and debonair, and not like a scarecrow."

_Then_ she took him out to lunch.

Later, his dad whistled in appreciation at her handiwork. "Looking good, son."

"Thanks, dad."

Derek stood in the corner, staring at Stiles. The younger man walked up and gave him a kiss. "Lydia is a goddess! Fantastic, huh?"

The alpha looked away and grumbled, "You don't smell like you."

"Oh, come on, Sourwolf! I look good, right?"

Derek looked back at him, eyes soft. "Yeah. You do." He nodded at Lydia. "Thanks."

"No problem. Enjoy!" She gave Derek a wink and sauntered away.

That evening, he decided it was time to talk to Derek and his dad about college. He'd been putting it off, trying to give himself more time, but it was the beginning of August. A final decision needed to be made.

After dinner, as they sat around relaxed, was when he figured they'd be in the most receptive mood. He looked back and forth between them, "So. College. I need to make plans."

Stiles saw Derek stiffen, his mouth becoming a pressed line as he frowned. He refused to meet Stiles' eyes.

His dad responded quietly, "I'm not sure that you're ready. It's only been a couple of months. Can you defer for a year, or at least a semester?"

"If I drop below six credit hours, I have to start repaying my student loans. I have to either go to school or work, and I think I could handle classes. I'm not sure about a job."

Derek's voice was low and tightly controlled, "I'll pay your loans. I have so much money from my family's life insurance that I don't know what to do with it all. Pushing yourself too hard could kill you! Have you forgotten that?"

He was obviously fighting to stay calm. "You have no support network at college. You have no one to help you, or make sure that you're ok. If Scott hadn't been worried, you'd have died in that apartment and nobody would have known."

He couldn't control a growl. "Those people… that group. They're still there. Do you think they aren't still out for you? If you go back, there is no one there to protect you! We're too far away. By the time any of us could get there, it could be too late."

Stiles got up from his chair and perched on the arm of his mate's chair. He reached out to him, but Derek's shoulder was stiff under his hand. "I wasn't thinking of living there. They have online courses. I'd only have to physically go there for finals. Well, maybe a few mid-terms too. It depends on the class."

His mate relaxed a fraction. "I wouldn't want to go anywhere else, Derek. I have a great thing here, with you. I've finally reconnected with dad, and Scott is here. I lived away and it was lonely."

Derek finally looked at him, the harsh edges of clenched muscles easing from his face. He pulled Stiles onto him, breathing his scent in. His voice, when it came, was much softer and less on edge. "I still don't think you're physically ready, Stiles. You haven't gained much weight back, and Deaton's theory is that all the food you're eating is still replenishing the life energy they drained from you. It makes you very vulnerable."

Unfortunately, his dad agreed. "You're still sleeping about ten hours a night and taking an afternoon nap. Do you think you'd have time for a full course load on that kind of schedule?"

"Online courses would give me some flexibility. As long as I meet deadlines, I can do the work when I want to. If I'm feeling bad in the morning, I can work on stuff in the afternoon or even the next day. It's not like having to be up at a set time for a class."

They ended up hashing everything out. Stiles would do the six credit hours, but if it started impacting his health (as decided by Dr. Deaton) he would drop the courses, even if it looked bad on his transcripts. Derek would accompany him for any mid-terms and finals.

Stiles knew that he might lose some of his scholarships by dropping to part time, but his dad assured him that the financial details could be worked out. It was a compromise that they could all accept.


	15. Chapter 15

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_Some swearing. Spoilers for both seasons.  
_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf!  
**

Chapter 15 of 25

Summer was winding to a close. Stiles had signed up for three classes, and Lydia and Danny would be heading back to their respective colleges in about a week.

The online pack meetings were going really well. There was something in Derek that had eased, and he was much more relaxed lately. Danny had spoken to the alpha about taking the bite after college. He'd be heading into it well informed, and Stiles was pretty happy about it. Danny would make an awesome werewolf!

The human trio were lounging in the backyard enjoying the warm weather, and Derek and Scott were inside preparing dinner. Derek was becoming a pretty good cook. He seemed to enjoy it. He was constantly trying new things and getting Stiles to taste test.

They all heard Sheriff Stilinski pull in. He rounded the corner to a chorus of greetings as he waved and pulled up a chair. They all chatted and he told an amusing story about his day. "Before I forget, Stiles, a letter came for you yesterday." He pulled it out of his jacket and handed it to his son.

Stiles took it and looked it over. "Weird. It must have built up a static charge in your jacket. It just gave me a shock!" He slid a finger under the flap and peeled it up. "I wonder who it's from. No return address but it's handwritten."

The next several seconds would be forever etched into Sheriff Stilinski's memory. He noted that instead of paper, the envelope contained a thin sheet of metal the size and thickness of a playing card. It was plain, with a single symbol etched into its face.

Derek shouted from inside the house, having caught the whiff of foreign magic the moment it cleared its paper sheath. In the moment Stiles touched the metal, visible electricity arced into him. Danny, being closest, tried to take it from Stiles and the electricity flickered to cover him as well.

Derek and Scott ran outside yelling that it was magic and Lydia, eyes big and scared, reached out and delicately took it between her thumb and forefinger. She yanked it out of contact with Stiles and Danny. She stared at it in her hand with a look of horror and then flung it away.

Stiles dropped with a heavy thud from his chair as Danny slid boneless to the ground.

Derek was suddenly there, pulling Stiles to him, stark fear etched on his face. Lydia dropped down next to Danny to check his pulse. Scott was standing stricken, "Their hearts aren't beating. Oh my God. They're dead!"

"No, they're not. Not yet." The Sheriff's training kicked in. "Does anybody else know CPR?" At Lydia's nod he told her to handle Danny. He laid Stiles flat and began compressions. "Scott, call 911. Let them know that we have two cardiac arrests due to electrocution. Give them the address and go out front to lead them in." He glanced at Derek. "Come up with something, _anything_ that could have plausibly electrocuted them."

Derek stood and for a few seconds, his brain simply wouldn't work. All he kept seeing was Stiles and Danny, lifeless on the ground. He didn't want to leave Stiles' side, but he had to help his pack. Going back in, he looked around. He grabbed some things and ran back out.

Derek could hear the sirens already and time was running short. He unwound the vacuum cord and ran it toward the electrical socket as if it had been plugged in. Then as quickly as he could, he started unscrewing the back of the vacuum motor. When he was done, he yanked a couple of wires loose, threw the screwdriver down, and went back to Stiles and Danny.

Sheriff Stilinski and Lydia were still working on them as the EMT's ran around the corner, being led by Scott. The paramedics moved the others aside and starting attaching things to both young men. At the push of a button, Danny's body jerked and his heart started back up. He was loaded onto a gurney and quickly taken away. Lydia went with him.

Stiles heart didn't start after the first shock and they waited briefly for the unit to recharge. A second jolt hit him and for a split second they thought it hadn't worked. Then a sluggish heartbeat began to register on the monitor. Derek hopped in the ambulance with Stiles. Sheriff Stilinski opted to ride in front of them in the patrol car, clearing the way. Scott followed in the Camaro.

Derek was allowed to hold Stiles' hand as the EMT's worked to stabilize his mate. He listened as they called ahead with codes and statuses to the ER, and noticed how they had a computer that they were entering data into. Oxygen was administered and a blood pressure cuff was placed on Stiles' arm. Every so often, it would work on its own, taking Stiles' readings. Things got attached everywhere, even the tip of one of his fingers.

It was like looking into a world that he'd never seen before. Having grown up a werewolf, he'd rarely encountered illness. It had been a time of relative peace, and the human members of his family hadn't needed anything like this. The wolves healed of their injuries or were so severely damaged that they died. Either way, it never involved paramedics or hospitals.

This was a stark new reality to Derek.

That night at the hospital was a surreal blend of manic voices and movement, combined with the slow drone of time amongst hospital neutral walls. It was that 'hurry up and wait' scenario with loved ones' lives in the balance. It was fear and anger, the driving need to know what was going on, and the knowledge that one had to be patient. In short, it drove Derek insane.

He paced as Sheriff Stilinski spoke to officers and staff, explaining how his son and Danny had tried to fix a broken vacuum cleaner. He spoke of the short time they had been electrified because Lydia had jumped up and unplugged it. He was asked dozens of questions about the tiniest minutia. Derek thought the questions were utterly trivial. All that mattered was that they fixed Stiles and Danny. His mate. His pack.

No parents showed up for Danny, but Scott's mom came. Deaton arrived sometime during the horrible wait and sat silently, watching Derek. A short time later, Ms. Morrell came in and whispered something to him. He nodded and thanked her, and they both waited.

Scott's mom headed off to see if she could bring back some answers for them. She wasn't on shift, but the doctors and staff would probably let her in since she worked there. When she came back, there was visible relief on her face. "They're both stable. A doctor should be coming out shortly to give you the details."

It felt like forever, but a doctor finally came in to where they had taken over the waiting room. The doctor looked around and asked if it was alright to disclose this information to the group, or if the Sheriff wanted to speak in private. When he indicated that telling the group was fine, the doctor gave a smile. "Mr. Mahealani has given me authorization to disclose his medical information to the group as well, so let's get started."

The doctor gestured for everybody to sit. "Both of them are in stable condition. Mr. Mahealani has a cracked rib from the CPR, but is otherwise in good shape. I'll hold him for a day for observation, but I don't expect there to be any problems."

Lydia was dismayed that she'd hurt Danny. The doctor smiled warmly at her, "If you do CPR right, you end up with cracked or broken ribs. What you did probably saved his life. It kept oxygen and blood circulating through his system until his heart could be shocked back into rhythm. You did a fantastic job and I'm sure that Mr. Mahealani is grateful."

Derek couldn't stand it anymore, "What about Stiles?"

"He's doing well. He has two broken ribs and second degree burns to his hand where he touched the exposed wires. Prognosis from this kind of injury is often dependent on the health of the individual. For example, Mr. Mahealani seems quite fit. Stiles, however, has an underlying medical condition, I'm told. Is this correct?"

The Sheriff glanced at Deaton, who gave a small nod. "Yes. He came home this summer to recuperate from chronic fatigue syndrome."

"Does he have a doctor that he's been seeing? Both young men will need to have a checkup with their regular doctors, just to follow up. However, I'd like to be sure that Stiles' is monitored carefully."

Ms. Morrell spoke for the first time. "Dr. David Morrell is his personal physician. He's already been notified of what's happened. I believe that he'll be able to stop by in the morning."

"Excellent! He can speak with the attending physician on duty at the time. Both Mr. Mahealani and Mr. Stilinski are being moved to a semi-private room together. A nurse will be by soon to lead you there. It's past visiting hours but you can all go up and see them if you're quiet about it." He shook hands with Sheriff Stilinski and gave the rest of them a nod.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Lydia turned to Ms. Morrell, "Dr. David Morrell?"

The counselor gave her a cool smile. "Yes. My brother."

"Is he an actual doctor that treats people, or is he like Dr. Deaton?"

"He's a licensed physician, Lydia. I can tell you where he went to college and spent his residency, if you'd like."

"Stiles will be his patient now?"

"Yes. He has a private practice and sees very select clientele. Stiles is now his patient."

"Select clientele. What does that mean?"

"In our profession, it's often necessary to have medical personnel who understand the more unusual aspects of our lives."

"And your profession is?"

"I'm a school counselor, Lydia. I recall going over this in detail with you at one point."

Lydia gave her a pointed look. "So you're a counselor, just like Dr. Deaton is a veterinarian?"

Ms. Morrell smiled at her. "That is correct."

Lydia looked ready to keep going, but Stiles' dad interrupted. "Lydia, something's been bugging me. How did you grab the card without getting electrocuted as well?"

Lydia looked away. "I'm immune to magic."

The Sheriff remembered her wide eyed fear. "You weren't sure, though, were you?"

"No. It acted like electricity, but Derek said it was magic, and I had to trust that."

Derek froze. She'd had no reason to trust him, and yet she had. She'd risked her life on his word. The things she'd done while under his uncle's control weren't her own actions. This, though... This was all Lydia: fiery, challenging, loyal, intelligent, and protective. He began to see why Stiles had loved her.

Until now, he'd allowed her in because of Stiles. With this act of trust she'd forever carved a place for herself in his pack. Derek's world expanded to include yet another human pack mate. First it had been Stiles, and by extension, his father. Now Lydia.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you." Unsaid was, "Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for saving Danny. Thank you for saving Stiles...and by extension, me." She must have heard at least some of it, because her eyes got misty and she pulled him into a hug. "Anytime."

Note from the author:

I'm sorry for the length. I had a shorter version but it felt too choppy.

Also, I'm VERY sorry for beating up on poor Stiles some more! This chapter brought some elements into play that I need to write out the rest of the story.


	16. Chapter 16

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 16 of 25

A nurse showed them up to the room. Along the way she explained, "We do have chairs that fold out, if there's somebody who wants to stay overnight. Only one person per patient though, I hope you understand."

Danny was in the first bed and he gave a wan smile as the whole group trooped in. "Hi guys."

"Hey, Danny. How are you feeling?" Mrs. McCall stepped up to his bed, fussing with the sheets a little.

"I think I'll live. It's not an experience I want to repeat though."

"No, I think it would be better if you didn't. Honey, is there somebody you want me to call?"

"My folks are away. It's ok, Mrs. McCall. Don't worry about it."

Lydia had walked in, and marched straight to the curtain dividing Danny and Stiles and slid it back. She made Scott drag a seat right between the two beds, where she settled in to watch over both young men.

Derek and Sheriff Stilinski had headed straight to Stiles. His eyes were closed, but when his dad took his unbandaged hand, his eyes fluttered open. "I heard that I have you thank for some broken ribs.", he joked.

The Sheriff's voice was serious, "It's better than the alternative."

"Yeah." His eyes slid over to Derek,"Hey, Sourwolf. You don't look so good. You ok?"

"I'm better than you are right now." He waved at the IV, oxygen, and monitors. "You look like you got in a fight with Lydia and lost. Badly. "

Stiles huffed a little laugh. "Ow ow ow ow. Oh God. No more making me laugh." He took a couple of short breaths. "And are you kidding me? Anybody who picks a fight with Lydia will lose!"

"Damn right they will!", she chimed in.

Derek sat next to Stiles and laid a hand on his bare forearm. The sheriff watched as black lines crept up Derek's arm and disappeared. "What was that?"

"We can take pain. Not a lot, really, but enough to help." The alpha kept his hand on Stiles, now sending his mate energy.

Ms. Morrell shut the door most of the way and watched for approaching hospital staff. Deaton addressed them, "I know this isn't the best time, but I need to know **exactly** what happened."

Deaton questioned them closely about the symbol, and the Sheriff described it as best he could remember. When he asked where it was now, Lydia explained that she'd tossed it off into the yard. Satisfied, Dr. Deaton and Ms. Morrell took their leave.

The nurse came back to kick people out, and Mrs. McCall took Lydia and Scott home. Derek and Sheriff Stilinski opted to stay. Stiles' dad took the chair between the beds. He settled into an uneasy sleep.

Derek sat by Stiles for a while, just glad that his mate was alive. Stiles patted the bed next to him and offered, "Come on. Lay down." Derek very carefully eased in next to Stiles, being mindful not to disrupt any of the cords. He lay there, listening to Stiles breath next to him. The night nurse came in to check on the patients and made an initial attempt to ban the alpha from Stiles' bed. He gave her his patented Derek Hale glare, and she left them alone.

Sunlight was starting to filter into the room when Derek woke to hear the shift change at the nurses' station. Soft voices murmured of patient statuses and relayed information from the night. In contrast, he heard sharp footsteps come down the hall. A tall, slim, black man entered. Derek could smell faint whisps of magic emanating from the man. It smelled like mint, and the crisp smell of first frost. Derek tensed, ready to protect mate and pack. The man only shook his head, smiled, and began checking Danny's vitals. When he was done, he moved over to Stiles. Derek watched his every move.

Very quietly the man spoke, "I'm Dr. Morrell. I'm going to speak with the doctor on shift, and I'll be back in soon." Derek slid out of the bed, trying not to jostle Stiles and wake him. He went to the bathroom and when he came out, the sheriff was blearily rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Both men were waiting for Dr. Morrell when he got back.

The urbane gentleman settled on a stool. "Sheriff Stilinski. Alpha Hale." He shuffled through some papers. "I've been made aware of the situation. Unfortunately, I can't get Stiles released right away because that would raise red flags. We'll have to work within the system and make the best of it."

"No offense, Dr. Morrell, but my immediate concern is my son's condition. We weren't given many answers last night."

"Sheriff Stilinski, your son was the target of a magical attack on his life. An attack that very nearly succeeded. Dr. Deaton and my sister are looking into the group that has been after him. Hopefully that will keep them too occupied to make another attempt on Stiles' life. My job is to keep him safe and make sure that he returns to health.

"Medically speaking, let me lay it out. Last night, he went into cardiac arrest after taking the equivalent of a strong electrical shock. He arrived at the hospital in respiratory distress and in arrhythmia. With drug therapy they got him stabilized, though his blood pressure is still low, and he's been doing well overnight.." He looked at them. "Any questions so far?"

"Will he be okay? How about long term effects?"

"Sheriff, let me assure you that his prognosis is very good. In the long term, I don't think this will be more than a temporary blip. He'll spend a few days in the hospital and then he can go home. I'll be monitoring him closely after that."

Derek asked, "What about the magical draining? How will his recovery be effected by this?"

"He's still significantly weakened, which isn't a surprise. More surprising is the fact that he survived at all." Both men stared at him. "I thought you were aware."

"I knew that when Derek and Scott found him, he was very dehydrated and weak. He looked like hell, but I was repeatedly assured that he was going to recover. Are you telling me that wasn't the case?"

The Sheriff looked pointedly at Derek, who shook his head, denying that he knew anything more. "Deaton told us that we needed to be very careful with him, but he kept saying that he'd be fine."

"I'm working on second hand information, but it's my understanding that Stiles was so drained of magical energy that he had almost none left. Think of it like this: if a person is drained of blood until almost none is left in their veins, their system collapses. Even if given a transfusion at that point, the body has received such a shock that it simply can't handle the strain and the person often dies anyway.'  
"Stiles survival and recovery is quite remarkable. I'm aware that there is both a mate bond and a magical connection in play, and I'm sure that's a big factor. However, it is very clear that Stiles is also a remarkable young man. I don't think that this incident will set him back for long, if the past few months are an indication."

"Does that mean I can blow this popsicle stand? As nice as being served breakfast in bed is, I prefer Derek's cooking. And you know, wearing clothes that don't gape in the back."

"Stiles, hello! I'm Dr. Morrell." The doctor greeted Stiles. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Hi doc. Are you going to spring me?"

"I'm afraid not, Stiles. You'll probably have to settle in for a few days. How are you feeling? Are you in pain?"

"I feel like a wookie stomped on my chest. Got any of the good meds? That might be cool!"

Derek sat next to Stiles and worked on drawing the pain away. The doctor watched closely. He monitored the energy flow between the two. He also watched the physical signs like color, respiration, heart rate, and blood oxygen. "Very interesting." He remarked idly, "I've known a few werewolves who went into the medical field and used their abilities to help patients. The effect here is quite a bit stronger. Alpha Hale, if you don't mind, I'd love to have a chance to test out whether this is because you're an alpha, or because you're mates. I've never had this opportunity before."

Derek gave the man a flat stare. Stiles poked him. "Aw, come on. Helping out humanity and all that. What if he could help people with that knowledge? That would be awesome."

The doctor just waved it off. "Just think about it, please, Alpha Hale. Stiles, I'll go see what they have written in your charts for pain meds. We'll try to make you comfortable." He came back with a small paper cup and a glass of water. "Here. This should take the edge off. We don't want you on anything too strong. Pain meds can depress your heart rate and breathing and we want to avoid that right now."

Danny had woken to them talking and raised his bed up. Of course, then Stiles had to start playing with his, much to the chagrin of his father. Derek finally grabbed the control away. "You're making me seasick. Knock it off."

The morning nurse made her rounds and took the breakfast order. She let them know that the hospital doctor would be in soon. Danny wanted to know if he'd be cleared to head back to college and Dr. Morrell told him that would be fine. "Dr. Morrell, are you acting as my doctor as well?"

"That's up to you. I'd be happy to have you as a patient. Right now, I'm here because my sister called me in, but I admit that you are a fascinating group. You had a kanima, if I remember correctly. Then somebody came back from the dead. Is he still alive? I'd love to sit and chat with him."

"Believe me, no you wouldn't."

"You also have the girl who is immune to magic. Very unusual. Alpha Hale, you really do gather the most interesting people."

The Sheriff cleared his throat, redirecting the conversation. "Doctor, what about your fees? Stiles is still on my insurance, since he's in college."

"Again, I'm here as a favor. I will, of course, be happy to accept your insurance. I have a very eclectic set of patients, and some of them pay very well for my services since they cannot seek standard treatment. It allows me a certain degree of freedom. Payment, in this case, is not my priority."

"What is your priority?" Derek really didn't trust the man. Deaton had always looked out for them, but Ms. Morrell was an enigma. Her brother knew too much, and was too interested in his pack, for the alpha to feel comfortable.

"As I mentioned earlier, it's twofold: to make sure Stiles makes a full recovery, and to keep him safe while things are being dealt with."

"Dealt with? Dealt with how, exactly?" The Sheriff didn't like the sound of that.

"Sheriff Stilinski, you cannot believe that there are only two groups out there. The world is far bigger and more complex than just the werewolves and hunters. Take this group of magic users that attacked Stiles, for instance. They're human, but they drain others for their power. Normally people of that type don't work well together. The ones that were actively linked to Stiles were burned out, but there were others in the group and they are evidently quite ruthless.'  
" Think about this: what if that envelope had come open and an innocent postal worker or child had touched the card? What if you had opened it for your son, while at your home? Or if Stiles had waited, and opened it when he was alone?'  
"People of this nature cannot be prosecuted in a court of law. Their outright slaughter, as a hunter would be prone to dealing out, would draw too much attention. No. There are those who try to maintain the balance. We try to keep innocent people safe, but we also try to minimize damage and death."

The room fell silent for a while. "You know, that's pretty cool, doc."

"It can be, Stiles. It can also be downright ugly and painful. You pay a heavy price for dealing in these affairs, but you already know that." He stood and adjusted his suit jacket. "I'll leave you with those thoughts for now. I'll be back to check on you later. I'd like to set up some protections, just in case. Alpha Hale, it would be safest for Stiles if you, or another wolf, were always with him. Also, he may need some help managing his pain."

Doctor Morrell gave a brisk nod and left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 17 of 25

Danny is totally awesome.

Stiles would be doing a happy dance, if he could do a happy dance, which he couldn't, so well… But Danny was still awesome. Danny acted tired and sore to get the doctors to keep him one more night so that Stiles wouldn't have to worry about a new roommate.

Yup. Made of win.

During visiting hours, the whole group of them camped out. Lydia had gotten "the boys" their computers, and they were waging war on some game that she couldn't care less about. They were entertained and happy. _That_ she cared about. She'd also thought of questions that none of the rest of them had, which made her roll her eyes and despair of them all. She had a whole list for Dr. Morrell, who she wanted to meet for herself.

Stiles had convinced his dad to go home and get some real sleep. He was too old for this crap, or so Stiles believed. So he'd sent him home and made him promise not to come back until he'd eaten and slept. When he did make it back in, he looked a lot better.

Stiles had been allowed to take a shower and Derek helped him. This time it wasn't sexy at all, only painful. At least his dad had brought pajama pants, so he didn't have to risk mooning everybody. Putting them on, though? Pain! Bending was not his friend.

As the afternoon wore on, Lydia started tapping her nails on the arm of the chair impatiently. It drove Derek nuts, but she just smiled sweetly at him when he growled, and went back to doing it. When Dr. Morrell finally came, she put her game face on. She was ready. She let him get in the room and feel comfortable before she began her interrogation.

Her voice was silky and cool when she asked, "So. Doctor Morrell, is it? Can I see some ID, please? Since Dr. Deaton and Ms. Morrell didn't formally introduce us, I'd like to be sure that you are who you claim to be."

"Ah! You must be Lydia." He pulled several cards out of his wallet and handed them to her. She inspected each one carefully and handed them back. He seemed amused. "Anything else?"

"Yes, in fact there is. You told them" , as she waved her hand dismissively at the room, "that it was the psi vamp group that sent that _thing_ that hurt Stiles and Danny. How do you know that?"

"The full explanation would involve a lengthy discussion on the nature of magic, so let me condense this for you. While it is common for magic users to use various types and forms of magic in small ways, it is highly unusual for more than a few people to use a very specific form of magic in such an extremely advanced way. Or even simpler, the form that the magic took yesterday was very like electricity. The barrier erected on Stiles' apartment was also like electricity. The odds of more than one magic user with that particular skill is low. The chance that different people, using that specific form of magic against Stiles, is almost nil."

"All right. I buy that. You're obviously involved up to your neck in the supernatural. Why be a doctor? "

"There are a lot of answers for that, Lydia. For one thing, being involved in this world doesn't mean that you don't have to make a regular living or eat.'  
"Where there is a need, a job springs up to fill that need. There are often humans, like Stiles, who get hurt by something that conventional medicine cannot understand. Treating it like a typical illness will not serve them, and can potentially result in death. There are also members of the community who simply cannot be treated at a hospital or by regular doctor."

"Why veterinarians and school councilors?"

"We often take jobs that allow us to be visible in the human community. Dr. Deaton's role as a vet gives him the tools, medications, and training to help the werewolf pack in this area. It also enables him to provide a safe place to shelter the pack, if needed. Ms. Morrell's job initially gave her access to a group of supernatural teenagers that were in crisis. Nobody questioned when she'd pull you aside to counsel you. She keeps it because it gives her credibility, and because teenagers talk. She's able to find out information that others might not have available."

"Werewolves as EMTs?"

"A werewolf in control has no problem being an EMT. Some of them enjoy serving the community. Both communities. They have the medical knowledge to save the lives of both humans and others. Let's use Derek as an example. If he were a paramedic, he would have had the knowledge to administer CPR to Danny or Stiles last night. If one of the wolves were hurt in a way that didn't heal immediately, he'd know the proper way to treat it.'  
'His enhanced hearing and smell could potentially save lives, and people respect medical personnel. By helping the community and being a part of it, people are willing to shrug off or dismiss the random odd behavior. It serves as a cover, of sorts. Instead of being the town loner, he'd be viewed with respect. Do you see?"

"Yes, I do. That's actually quite devious. I rather like it."

Dr. Morrell obviously smiled more often than his sister, because he beamed at Lydia. "I can see why my sister found you to be an intriguing challenge." He looked at the rest of the group, "Any more questions for this Q and A session?" Everybody shook their head. "Excellent. Moving on."

He opened his briefcase and pulled out two small vials. One was a sweet smelling oil and he dabbed it on the windows and doors. The other smelled of almond and he traced a small symbol on Stiles' forehead. Derek sniffed at it. "What is it?"

"That one is almond oil infused with herbs for protection. Don't worry, nothing in it is dangerous to either one of you. No wolfsbane. It's a secondary defense to protect Stiles from spells. The one I put on the windows and door should stop anything bad from getting in, but some of its ingredients are toxic. I can set up more permanent protections on your home and car, but it's not possible here. I'll also be creating something for him to carry with him that will shield him. When he's back to full strength, I'd like him to be able to defend himself."

"Hey doc?"

"Yes, Stiles?"

"It's fine if I go ahead and take some online college classes, right?"

Derek responded before Dr. Morrell could, "You signed up before this happened."

"There's no reason for me to drop those classes. I can still take them."

"There's every reason. You almost DIED last night!"

"But I didn't, and life goes on, Derek. I don't want to put my life on hold because of this. If I let everything bad that ever happened stop me, I'd have curled up and died a long time ago. When my mom died, it sucked. I had panic attacks. I still get panic attacks. The world that I knew ended, but the rest of the world didn't stop because I was hurting.'  
'When I was kidnapped by your nutjob of an uncle, I survived and kept going. When I watched a man get slowly crushed to death under my jeep, I got back up and kept going. When Allison's grandfather kidnapped and beat me, I kept going; and got the opportunity to run my jeep into Jackson, which was a bonus."

He glanced at Lydia, who only gave him a small smile. "I can make the choice to keep moving and keep trying, or I can let it stop me. I know what my choice is. I know what it's always been. I get up, even if I'm bruised and hurting, and I keep going."

He made the mistake of trying to make a broad gesture as he spoke, and groaned at his sore ribs. "Damn. Way to ruin the effect of a wonderful and grand speech."

Derek reached over and drew some of the pain away, but refused to look at him. He stared at the wall.

Dr. Morrell came to the foot of Stiles' bed, and placed a hand on his leg. "I don't see why you can't take a few online courses. It'll give your mind something to do while your body heals. So long as you pace yourself, I don't see a problem."

Derek growled low, almost sub-audibly.

Dr. Morrell gave him some space. Instead, he pulled a paper out of his briefcase and handed it to Danny. "Do you think that you can do something with this?"

The young man looked it over and nodded. "The hospital wifi is crappy, but I can manage." He began typing. "Got it."

He turned the computer for Dr. Morrell to see. "Go further. See if you can pull up any contacts and files."

Danny swiveled the computer back and kept going. He stopped and read over what he was seeing. "Wow. This can't be right, can it?"

"Here. Let me take a look. May I?" At Danny's nod, the doctor sat on the bed and read what was on screen. The rest of the room was silent, not sure what was going on, but not wanting to disturb them. "Forward all of that to the address at the bottom."

Danny asked, "Do you want me to wipe their drive?"

"No. They could have backups and we don't want to tip our hand. Leave it." The young hacker nodded.

The doctor left with promises to come back in the morning as a nurse bustled in with dinner. As soon as they were alone, Danny looked over at Stiles. "You really know how to dig yourself in deep, don't you?"

"What?" Stiles looked confused and his mouth hung partway open with food falling out.

Lydia reached over and shut his mouth with a fingertip. "Sweety, that's just gross."

"Oh. Sorry. And Danny? I have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously."

Danny gave him an exasperated look. It was almost like high school chemistry all over again. "That group you got yourself into? It's a small branch of a bigger organization. I'm not sure what it's all about, but from what I saw, it's serious stuff."

"Like what?"

"They're pretending to be pagan groups, magic study groups, and doing new age stuff to draw people in. They're targeting high schools and colleges because they're young and impressionable. If they find somebody with actual power, they start draining them. They've got multiple groups doing this all over the place. It's pretty messed up."

"Woah. Think they can handle it?"

"Stiles, whatever you're thinking, stop. You are going to let them deal with this." His dad had taken on that stern, chiding tone that only parents can manage.

"Right. Like that's ever stopped him before."

"Scott, shut up." Derek glared at the beta. "Don't encourage him."

"Hey Danny, can you send me those files?"

"No."

"Can I borrow your computer for a minute?"

"No."

"Aww, come on Danny, be a bro!"

"No."

"Fine. Ok. You win." Stiles went back to eating.

"I've already deleted my history and all record of what I did. Even if you steal my computer as I sleep, you won't be able to find anything."

Scott gave Danny a pat on his shoulder. "You're awesome, dude."

**Author's note: I wanted to send a special thanks to Kobiashi, whose input helped shape this chapter. Also to everybody who has sent feedback. Thank you for your support. I'm very glad that you all like it so far! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 18 of 25

It was Stiles' fourth, and hopefully final, day of his hospital stay. Danny had left after day two, and the Sheriff had reluctantly gone back to work. Derek refused to leave; showering in the bathroom, and getting Scott to bring him fresh clothes. He wasn't talking to Stiles much. He wasn't looking at him, or touching him either. Not since the night that he'd had his mini-rant. Stiles' wasn't sure if it was because he was moving forward with his college plans, or the contents of the speech itself.

Lydia and Danny were both due to leave in a few days and Stiles hated that he was missing this time with them. He'd insisted on holding the weekly pack meeting despite being in the hospital. Even that hadn't pulled Derek out of his mood, and they had ended it early.

Without Derek regularly draining the pain, doing anything that involved moving hurt. A lot. Walking hurt. Breathing hurt. They had him on heavier pain medications now that they were sure his system could handle it, but pain and him were buddies now.

He shuffled out of the bathroom and was relieved to see Scott's mom waiting for him. "Good news! I've got your discharge papers here."

"Yes!" he cheered. "No offense, Mrs. McCall, but I'm really glad to be getting out of here."

"None taken, Stiles. I completely understand." Her smile was warm as she ran him through his instructions. Papers, prescriptions, and bag in hand, he was wheeled out to the door. Derek was waiting for him and grabbed his bag. Mrs. McCall helped him out of the wheelchair. "Remember to take it easy, ok?"

"Trust me, that won't be a problem. It hurts to do anything else!"

"All right. Off you go!"

The car ride home was sheer hell. Every bump sent sheer agony through his chest. Derek's jaw was tense as he drove, but he ignored Stiles' sounds of pain. The final indignity came as the car bumped over the dip in the driveway. It slammed Stiles' forward into his seatbelt hard enough to cause it to catch. "Ohhh… my… god! Shit. Did you do that on purpose? I know that you're mad at me, but that just sucks. Shit!"

Derek's hands were clenching and releasing. "I didn't do it on purpose."

He got out and came around to Stiles' door. Stiles was sitting there, hissing short breaths through his teeth. "Just give me a sec. Okay? That really hurt."

Derek released a strange mournful sound and dropped to his heels next to Stiles. He touched him for the first time in days, drawing away the pain. "I'm sorry. Damn it. I'm sorry. I thought if you had to deal with the pain, you'd reconsider the college thing, but shit! I can't take watching you hurt. It's making me crazy."

The sudden easing of pain made Stiles feel a little lightheaded. "Holy… wow… that's so much better. Phew. Thank you."

Derek stood and helped ease Stiles out of the Camaro. "No offense, dude, but I think my jeep might have made this easier. Crap." Between the two of them, they got him up and out of the car, and Stiles leaned heavily on his mate. "This sucks."

Derek could only agree as Stiles made his slow, painful way inside.

###

Dr. Morrell stopped in later to check on him. He updated them on how it was going with the psi vamp group. "If there's a group in an area where we have contacts, we've alerted them to the situation. Some members of the vamp group are into other criminal activities, and we've notified law enforcement where possible."

"So wait, you're not taking them out in some sort of tactical strike?"

"No, Stiles. People like me are scattered. We do what we can, where we can."

"What about the people being drained where you have no contacts? What about them?"

"It would be nice if we could save everybody, but it's just not possible. Sometimes, you just have to fight for your little piece of the world and pray that it's enough."

###

In a quiet moment later, when he was snuggled against Derek and mostly comfortable, he contemplated what Dr. Morrell had talked about. "He's given me a lot to think about. It's all so much bigger than just us, you know?"

Derek didn't answer for a while and they sat there in comfortable silence. When he spoke, he was hesitant. "I'm thinking of… I'm thinking of becoming a paramedic."

"What? Seriously?!"

"Yeah. What Morrell said made a lot of sense. I spoke to Scott's mom about it. EMTs don't require as much training and I could do that, or I could be a paramedic. I'd learn to stitch wounds and do some other things that might really help us. I wouldn't have to stand by, watching helplessly, as you lay dying on the ground."

"Derek, if it's something you want to do, that's great, but don't do it because of what happened. "

The alpha traced gentle fingers over the bruises covering Stiles' chest. "Not everything can be solved by brute strength. Lydia's right, the way the Morell's and Deaton operate is devious. But it works. It allows them to move about freely and do some good."  
He laid a soft kiss on his mate's head. "I've also been thinking about what you said, and I realize that Laura would have kicked my ass by now. I haven't done anything with my life since she died. When our house burned down and we lost everything, she took us away. She made sure that we were safe, but then she made us move on. I finished high school and she had a job. She wanted us to actually _live_. Not just to survive.'  
'Maybe I won't like being a paramedic, but I can give it a shot. It'll give me something to do. If I hate it, at least I'll have some medical training, so it won't be a total loss. The community college has classes and I can start after we're sure that you're back on your feet."

"You don't have to wait on me. I'll be fine."

"You're not fine right now. You will be, but it'll take time. I want to make sure that you're strong and that you can protect yourself. There aren't easy fixes here, and we'll take it slow. There's time. It's enough that I have you, and that I have thoughts of a future again. That's good for now."

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"What?"

"It means you'll actually have to talk to people! OH! And you'll have to be nice. You'll scare the patients to death if you use your angry face."

Derek pretended to smack Stiles in the head. "Shut up, will you?"

###

The next few weeks were hard. He found out that broken ribs don't heal nearly as quickly as he thought, and the constant pain sapped his energy. Derek was always hovering, still upset and angry that he had started his classes. The alpha was helping drain the pain away, but being at home and moving around was very different than laying stationary in a hospital bed. He had moments where he just wanted to lay his head down and call it quits, but he couldn't do it.

The burns on his hand had healed up well enough to take off the bandages, but the skin felt tight and tender. Derek would rub cream in, and carefully stretch and bend Stiles' fingers to keep the scar tissue from hardening.

Most days found him propped up in bed, Derek lying next to him, and the computer in his lap. He'd sometimes wake up to find that he'd fallen asleep halfway through an assignment. The day he had a timed test, he made Scott keep watch and make sure that he didn't pass out. (He didn't quite trust Derek to keep him awake, since he was pretty sure that his mate would consider a nap "for his own good")

His dad maintained a concerned air of watchfulness. The Sheriff accepted Dr. Morrell's opinion that Stiles was doing well enough to continue, but he constantly had worry lines on his forehead.

Stiles noticed that the doctor and Derek started having a lot of side conversations, and he wasn't sure how to take that. On one hand, it didn't look like arguments. On the other, he wasn't sure what was going on, and that made him suspicious. He'd asked Derek about it and only gotten tight lipped silence in response. Dr. Morrell just shrugged and smiled at him. All in all? Definitely not reassuring.

It was a Friday night when a grim faced Deaton showed up. It was the first time Stiles had seen him since the day he'd been essentially electrocuted. He wasn't sure what the man had been doing, exactly, but the calm demeanor had slipped. The four older men; Deaton, Sheriff Stilinski, Derek, and Dr. Morrell, all sat talking in the living room. They kept giving Stiles little glances and he was tired of it.

Stiles stalked out into the room with them, still sore but moving better. The conversation died. "You're going to tell me what's going on, or I'll find out for myself."


	19. Chapter 19

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 19 of 25

Sheriff Stilinski scrubbed a hand over his face. "Tell him. He'll just get into more trouble otherwise."

Dr. Deaton looked weary. "The group you got involved with is part of a larger set up. The man who came up with the whole thing is Ralph Pinkerton, but he goes by the alias Ryan Slynx. It's basically a pyramid scheme. The local groups recruit and find people with power and take their magic. Most walk away but never regain the ability to use magic. For many, they never realized they had power, and don't really miss it. It's why this hasn't caught anybody's attention until now.  
The low level people don't see much of the power. Just a taste. As you go higher up, they get a larger portion of it. Pinkerton sits at the top, and he makes sure that most of the power goes to him. The groups usually have no direct connection to him, but all of them feed into to him through trusted people that he's handpicked.  
Your group was being run by his nephew, Kieron. Kieron isn't high up, power wise, but Pinkerton did include him in the scheme. Judging from the computer that Danny hacked, we've found communications and files that indicate that Pinkerton had become aware that his nephew had found an amazing power source. You."

"Me? I'm just that awesome!" Stiles laughed and then pressed his hand to his ribs. "Ow. Laughing still hurts. But, seriously? The most I've done is spread ash around. That protection circle I created? That was a long shot. I'd seen it in some of the trash they were teaching me and I was desperate. I can't believe that it worked."

"It shouldn't have worked. The implausible becomes possible around you, Stiles. Your belief changes reality. It's what being a spark is. It's being connected to the forces that underlay our world. That circle shouldn't have worked because you didn't have the knowledge or the training to give it power. But you knew it was for protection, believed it could be done by just tracing out the symbols, and it worked."

Deaton looked at Dr. Morrell, for a moment, and they exchanged glances. "The reason that I didn't tell you, or Derek, how close you came to dying was because of that belief. If you had thought you were going to die, if Derek thought you were going to die, you probably would have. Because you both **_believed_** that you would be fine, you were."

"Wait. I can understand why Stiles would have to believe, if he's a 'spark'. Why would Derek have to believe?" Sheriff Stilinki was confused on that point.

Dr. Morrell picked up the conversation from there. "Actually, this ties in with something Derek and I have been discussing lately." The doctor met Stiles' eyes and nodded, indicating that he knew that the young man had noticed. "Deaton has done some research into other known sparks and they create very strong bonds with the people they love. Even if that love is one sided; the spark often loves them, and connects to them in some way, for the rest of their lives."

"Lydia." Stiles stated. "I've loved Lydia from the third grade. We didn't form a connection though. Was that because she's immune to magic?"

"Yes. I think so." Deaton answered. "While you couldn't form a direct connection to her, you have managed to create something different. She was in the woods for two nights, in weather that should have caused hypothermia or possibly death. She was perfectly fine. She also came out of the woods when you were there. From reports, the police had been there for some time." The Sheriff nodded. " If Lydia had been responding to the police lights, she probably could have come out sooner. However, it's my theory that your presence helped bring her out of her fugue state and home safely."

Dr. Morrell responded, "You fell in love with Derek and created a connection. In proximity, with Derek receptive to the mate bond, it created a feedback loop. His belief reinforced your magic. If he'd thought that you were dying instead, it would have weakened your magic and you would have died."

Derek guided Stiles to sit down when he went pale at that statement. "Dr. Morrell wants us to try to widen the link that we have. He thinks that it could help you recover faster. He also thinks that it would offer both of us greater protection."

"Why would our connection have to be widened? If I managed to connect to Lydia and she's immune, why wouldn't our connection be even stronger?"

Deaton responded. "Let me answer that, Stiles. You loved her, without reserve, for years. When you fell in love with Derek, that love was more cautious. Derek was denying the mate bond. He was actively cutting people out of his life. You created the bond, but it was tentative and has remained that way."

"So why don't you want to do it, Derek? Obviously you two have been discussing this, but if you'd agreed, we would have talked about this already."

"Sometimes, when mates have been together long enough, the death of one causes the death of the other. Doing this would increase the chance of that happening. Stiles, I face death by hunter and other werewolves constantly. I don't want to take you with me if I die."

"Opening the bond further will strengthen both of you, Derek. The connection already allows you to send energy to Stiles when you touch him. This would allow you to strengthen each other at a distance, although touch will always amplify that." Dr. Morrell looked at Stiles. "This will probably happen sooner or later. If allowed to happen sooner, you'll both be in a better position to handle any possible threats."

"I'm more likely to die than you are, Derek. You'd actually be taking the greater risk. No super-fast werewolf healing, remember? Almost got taken out by a bunch of life sucking pseudo vampires." Stiles pointed at himself. "Technically died, actually. Heart stopped and everything. So yeah. Dead, if only for a few minutes."

"I'm very aware of that, Stiles. Don't remind me."

"Actually, doc, what would have happened if we'd had a fully open link then? Would Derek have just fallen over?"

"No. He'd have felt your death as if it were a physical pain, but his death wouldn't happen for several hours, if not days. Only if you had actually died, though."

He rolled the whole thing over in his head. Stiles could see that Derek was still resistant to the idea, so he stalled, "I'd like to discuss this in private with Derek before we make any decisions."

"Of course."

Deaton cleared his throat. "Let's get back on track: Pinkerton. He wanted you, but Kieron was greedy for power and wanted as much for himself as he could get. Somebody associated with Kieron is behind the direct attack on you. I'm still trying to find out who. Our best guess is that they tried to take you out in retaliation for the night Scott and I burned out half their local group. They see you as the cause.  
Then we have Pinkerton who is now aware of you. He's also aware that his groups are being dismantled in every way available to us. I have no way of knowing if he realizes the two are related. Either way, there's a chance he's going to either want you for himself or want you dead.  
The good news is that none of them seem to be aware that there is a whole community of supernaturals out here. They think that they have the corner on power. They don't realize that you run with a pack of werewolves."

"Go Team Werewolf!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 20 of 25

Life had settled into a comfortable routine. Stiles' classes were going well, his ribs were healed (finally!), and he was feeling pretty good. He still tired faster than he had before, but in all, life was great. Pack meetings were a riot. He couldn't believe how much he missed everybody. All of them had matured, and everybody was far calmer than they had been in high school. Even him, though he doubted that he'd ever really be that zen level of calm that Deaton displayed. Actually, scratch that. He'd _never_ be that level of calm.

He was already writing up menus and grocery lists because everybody would be home for the winter holidays. Derek kept reminding him that he had plenty of time, but he didn't! It was in only six weeks! He was also getting ready for finals, so he wanted to make sure he was prepared. This was going to be great! He hadn't yet told Derek that he expected the alpha to do most of the cooking. Derek's cooking was the best. Even better than his mom's (sorry mom!).

Deaton and Dr. Morrell had started showing him magic . Not a lot yet, because he wasn't quite at full speed, and Derek was being overprotective. Still. It's why they continued to be at an impasse about the link. Derek didn't think the benefits outweighed the risks. Stiles disagreed, and it's why he'd been prodding at their bond, just the tiniest bit at a time. He didn't want Derek to catch on, but he liked the thought of helping the pack heal faster and be stronger. To his way of thinking it was a win-win. Stronger and faster meant less likely to get seriously hurt. Faster healing meant less likely to die.

Nothing much had been happening with Pinkerton and his group. Stiles was beginning to wonder if they'd decided to cut their losses and move on. Granted, that's not normally how things worked in their lives, but it was a possibility. Groups were still being shut down and prevented from causing mayhem. They had no idea where Pinkerton was. As Dr. Morrell explained to Stiles more than once, they weren't a government agency or coalition. They were just random people who shared a common goal; protect the innocent, including supernaturals, without drawing attention or resorting to death and destruction.

Deaton still hadn't found out who had sent the card of doom. That made Stiles a little itchy between the shoulder blades, but he was constantly watched over by two magic users, a couple of werewolves, and the Sheriff. He was about as safe as he was ever going to get.

A few more weeks rolled by ; quiet, comfortable, and wonderful. Thanksgiving had been held at Sheriff Stilinski's house, because he had more room. Scott and his mom came, Deaton swung in to say hello, and even Dr. Morrell came for dinner. Stiles had wanted to deep fry the turkey. His suggestion was met with a round of "No!" from everybody there, and a "Hell, no!" from his father.

"In my defense, when I set the house on fire doing it last time, I didn't know that the turkey had to be fully thawed before dropping it in the oil!"

Oddly enough, he couldn't find the deep fryer when he went to pull it out.

Derek had cooked the turkey in the end, and Stiles had argued that they should put the stuffing inside the bird. Instead, Derek baked the stuffing separately, but put weird things like fruit (!) inside the bird. Everybody agreed that the turkey had come out very juicy and delicious, so weird fruit (that they didn't eat. Thank God!) in turkey is a good thing. Who knew?

Lydia had come bearing pies. Not homemade, sadly. But Stiles cheered up when Danny brought homemade rolls. They were sweet, and not quite like any rolls he'd had before. Danny just shrugged and said that it was a recipe that had been passed down in his family. He refused to share the recipe, but promised to make more for Christmas.

After Thanksgiving, the studying for finals started in earnest. One of his finals was on a Monday, and they could day trip it. The other two weren't so easy. Econ was at 4 pm on a Wednesday. His advanced Latin class was at 8am the next day. They were going to play it by ear. If Stiles was tired, they'd stay overnight at a hotel. Otherwise, Derek would drive him back and forth. It was a lot of driving, but probably safer, all considered.

The first final went well, and Stiles didn't see anybody that he knew. Frankly, he was relieved. Being back made him nervous. His dad reminded him that the chances of running into any of the group were low, and he knew that, but it still felt kind of scary. Dying hadn't been all that fun. There hadn't been a white light, or his mom standing there waiting for him. There'd been pain, darkness, and then more pain when he woke back up.

The trip back and forth, plus a two hour final and all that stress, left him wiped out. He made sure to sleep extra on the next day.

He felt prepared for Wednesday's final. He thought he'd done well on it. He didn't agree with everything thing in it; like really, if you increase the price of water, does that really create more water? No. It just makes it harder for poor people to get access to water. It doesn't magically create more. But he knew what answer they wanted, so that's the answer he gave, along with a note at the bottom explaining why he disagreed.

By the time the test ended, though, he had a bad headache. They toyed with the idea of staying overnight, but Derek really wanted to leave, so Stiles slept most of the way back. The next morning they were up at the butt crack of dawn and on their way. He yawned and stumbled out to the car half asleep. Derek handed him a breakfast burrito, "Eat."

As they drove, Stiles ate his burrito and skimmed over his course materials. When he was sure he had it covered, he went back to sleep, trusting Derek to drive safely. They ended up running later than expected, because there was rush hour traffic in the city. Stiles sprinted to the classroom.

The tests had barely been handed out when the lights went out. They were getting enough light from the windows, so the teacher motioned for them to continue. He pulled out his phone and stepped outside. When he came back in he announced, "The campus has lost power. If it isn't restored within two hours, the school will be shut down, so finish in two hours people!"

Another headache hit him and he sat there blinking, text swimming in front of his face. He'd just brought everything back into focus when the classroom lights went back on. Some cheers could be heard from throughout the building. The lights kept getting brighter. Students started shielding their eyes, and then the lights started blowing out and shooting sparks. People were screaming, tests forgotten. They were shoving out the door and down the halls, not caring who they knocked down in their haste to get out of the building.

Stiles sat there for a moment, headache still messing him up. Derek was suddenly next to him. The alpha grabbed his elbow and pulled him out of his seat, propelling him out of the room and down the hall. Having no direct light, the hall was dark. Patches of light spilled from open classroom doors, and sparks lit up brightly in intermittent flashes. An arc of electricity flashed from an outlet, striking a student.

Derek pulled Stiles outside, never letting him go. People were milling around, but his mate went directly for the car. He yanked open the passenger door and pushed Stiles inside. "Get in." Derek was heading for the driver's side door when he was knocked off his feet by a bolt of electricity. He hit the pavement hard and rolled, coming to a stop underneath a parking lot light. The light blew, sending broken glass over Derek.

Stiles saw a man walking towards him. He looked back and forth from Derek, struggling to get back up, and the man heading straight towards the car. Stiles scrambled to lock the door and began fumbling through his backpack. "Where is it? Where is it? Crap! I know it's in here!"

He dumped out the contents of his bag as the mage reached the car. He had a stick or something in his hand, and he pointed it. Stiles pushed as far away as he could. With a roar, Derek flung himself at the man and knocked him away from the car. A bright light flashed, and Derek was thrown away. He lay there, unmoving.

The magic user stood back up, raised his hand, and lightening flashed from the stick to hit the car. Electricity sizzled along the metal frame, and Stiles could smell burnt electronics. The man cursed, realizing that the car had redirected the electricity. He stalked towards Stiles.

Stiles kept searching, frantically checking on the man's progress. He found the tiny bottle of oil, and opened it, not caring that he was spilling it everywhere. He traced a symbol on the window just as the man reached the door. Pulling on every scrap of belief that he could muster, he forced that belief into the symbol. A warm soft light grew from the symbol and enveloped the mage. The man's eyes bulged and then rolled back in his head. He dropped to a heap next to the car.

"Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh my God, I think I just killed someone. Holy Crap." Then he broke out of his shock. "Shit! Derek!"

He tried opening the door and found that it wouldn't open. He climbed over the median to the driver's side. "Oh thank God!" He threw himself out of the car and ran to his mate. "Derek! Derek! Wake up! Don't make me punch you again. That hurt too much!"

He could see emergency crews pulling in to the school. "Come on, Derek!"

Stiles laid his ear on Derek's chest and was relieved that he heart a heartbeat. He reached through their link, ripping it wide open, and **poured** everything that he could muster into his mate. Derek's eyes opened, glowing with light, as Stiles passed out.


	21. Chapter 21

**Magic's Cal**l by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing and violence._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 21 of 25

Derek woke to the sensation of raw power rushing through his veins. He felt emotions that he knew weren't his. There was fear, relief, concern, determination, and love. The flow of emotion cut off the moment he opened his eyes and Stiles crumpled. He didn't have time to think about it because police, fire, and medical personnel were arriving. Men were already heading this way and one of them was talking into a communicator. "We have injuries! South parking lot. I'm seeing three down. I repeat, three down. Need medical assistance."

Derek sat up and turned Stiles onto his back. His heart was beating strongly, but his face was pale. He brushed a gentle finger along Stiles' cheek, and his mate made a small sound. "Stiles? Can you hear me?"

A police officer knelt in front of them and checked Stiles' pulse. Derek had to hold in a low growl. "Sir, are you hurt?"

It took the alpha a few seconds to realize that the officer was talking to him. He shook his head. "No. I'm not hurt."

"I'll get somebody over here as soon as I can."

Several people had already converged on the mage and were performing CPR. Elsewhere, the scene was utter chaos. Injured people were being carried out of the school and laid out on the lawn and parking area. Students were crying in huddled masses. Firemen were rushing into the building, and paramedics were trying to find the most critically injured.

Eventually a triage was set up and patients were prioritized. Several bodies lay still under tarps. Most of them were victims of the stampede to get out. One of the bodies was of the man who had attacked them.

Derek could feel the guilt from Stiles wash over him in waves. His mate had woken up while being moved to the low priority area. He'd seen the mage's body before it had been covered. Derek spoke quietly, so that nobody would hear him. "You can't fall apart here. Not yet. Use me as an anchor." He felt Stiles nod, and through the link, he could feel Stiles draw on his strength.

Derek hadn't called back home right away because his cell phone had been destroyed by the electricity. Once the area had been deemed safe, he was allowed to go to the car and find Stiles' cellphone, which had survived.

Sheriff Stilinski was already on his way there by the time Derek managed to get the phone back. He'd been frantic. Reports of the incident had already hit the news. Various channels were citing it as either a freak electrical storm or theorizing that a transformer had blown out, causing a massive surge. He'd rightly assumed that Stiles had been attacked again, and when he couldn't reach either his son or Derek, he'd feared the worst.

Derek had hurried back over to Stiles, handing him the phone. He could hear the naked relief in the man's voice as he talked to his son. He assured them that he would be there soon and to hang tight. Derek didn't want to explain to him that they couldn't go anywhere. The Camaro was trashed. He was going to have it towed back to Beacon Hills. It was not staying here to be fixed. If he could help it, he would never be back in this particular area.

"I'm not risking this again. I'll transfer closer to home. You won't have to come back here, Derek." Stiles reached out to take his mate's hand.

"Can you hear my thoughts?"

"No, but I was getting the strong feeling that you want to leave and never come back."

"That about sums it up."

Eventually a nurse came and checked Stiles and Derek out. She sent them on their way, but recommended they get checked out at the ER. Stiles thanked her and the two of them left. They headed out towards the front of the college to wait for his dad. It was a mess. The place was crawling with news vans, and officers were trying to keep control.

Luckily, Stiles' dad had brought the police cruiser and it allowed him to get inside. He wrapped his son in a hug and Derek could smell his tears. Then the Sheriff turned and gave him the same treatment. He patted the man awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. Stiles just stood there with a quirky grin on his face, and amusement coming through the bond.

The Sheriff finally saw the car and you could see him stop in shock. "Tell me that you weren't inside when that happened!"

"It's ok dad. It was safer inside the car than outside, trust me."

His dad grabbed him, hugging him some more. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Yeah. Me too, dad. Me too."

###

The news of the incident even made CNN. The official statement was, "Our investigators are diligently looking into the matter. Preliminary findings indicate that a faulty transformer may have been to blame. There are six confirmed casualties and over forty injuries."

Stiles' had a panic attack on the way back. Derek had felt it building, and Stiles had been holding it back by sheer force of will. When they were safely out, his control broke and he shuddered and sobbed. Derek sat there holding him, sending comfort both physically and through their link, as they were carried along in the cruiser towards home.

Sheriff Stilinski later found out that the mage's cause of death was listed as electrocution. The symbol that Stiles used was for binding. His belief was that it would stop the man from hurting him and Derek. Dr. Morrell guessed that the binding covered the mage at the moment he was reaching for more power to strike. It caused the magic user's own power to rebound on him.

Stiles acted fine. He was hyper and cheerful, goading Derek into buying presents for the pack. He decorated and hummed Christmas tunes. He bought food enough for an army, and cleaned his dad's house. Most of the visiting pack members would be staying at the Stilinski residence, since they didn't really have homes to come back to. Underneath it, though, was a deep mass of fear and confusion. If Derek hadn't felt it, he'd never have believed it. Stiles hid behind his mask of cheerfulness and constant movement the same way Derek hid behind his own walls.

Stiles knew that Derek was concerned. "I'm fine."

"You're not."

Stiles flung himself into a chair. "We're going to do this right now?"

"Yeah. I think we are. You need to deal with whatever this is, Stiles. It's eating you up."

"People died, do you get that? People died because of me."

"No, they died because they got in the way of a man too evil, or blinded by vengeance, to care who got hurt."

"That's another thing. That man? He's dead. He'd dead because I killed him."

"Stiles, you've seen death before. You've fought with us. What makes this so different?"

"I killed somebody, Derek. I killed somebody with nothing more than my own belief."

" I have no sympathy for him. He came at you and kept coming. He almost killed you. He caused the deaths of five people, and he deserved what he got!"

"I know that it was self-defense, and yeah, maybe he deserved it. But Derek, his death matters. Where's the line, huh? Where's the line between monster and human? Hunters are so convinced they're right and they go around killing all the 'monsters'. But **they're** the monsters, Derek. They have become the very thing they are fighting. They don't care if they kill innocent kids, people who've done nothing wrong besides be something other than human. They don't care who they hurt along the way. Do you think they started out that way? Probably not! It happened one death at a time until killing didn't matter anymore. It was a long slow slide, and they convinced themselves it was right. I don't want to become that. I don't want to be one of the monsters, Derek."

"You won't."

"How do you know that? You can't promise that."

"Look, Stiles, I grew up a werewolf. I've seen so much death, and I admit, killing is easier for me. I've seen evil and I know how it can grow like a cancer. You're not evil. You're not a monster. I won't lie. You may have to kill again. Sometimes it comes down to kill or be killed. It's a harsh reality, but I know you. You'll never do it unless it's an absolute necessity. You'd never do it if it wasn't to protect yourself or others, and you'd never be able to not care. You'd do it, and it would be hurting you the entire time. But you'd do it knowing that it was the right thing.  
And if you doubt yourself, then trust me. Trust Scott and your dad. Trust Lydia, Danny, Erica, Boyd, and Isaac. We're stronger together. We support each other. We're pack, and we won't let you fall."

Stiles covered his face with his arm. "I'll try. I just can't feel good about this. I can't."

"I know. That's how I know that you'll never be one of the bad guys. You care. Sometimes too much."

His mate sat there in silence for a while, breath coming in little hiccups. Derek waited. After a time, Stiles got up and curled into Derek. "Promise me? Promise me that you won't let me become like him."

"I won't. Okay? And you have to promise that you'll do everything you can to stay alive. I don't want you hesitating. If you have to; remember that if you die, I die. There's no doubt of that anymore. We're too connected. The bond's too strong. So, live. Live for both of us. Don't let fear get you killed."

"Right back at you, Sourwolf. You have to stay alive too. No getting killed."

"Yeah. I know."

Derek stroked his mate's face gently. He could still feel the fear in Stiles, but he could also sense the trust. He'd trust Derek to maintain his humanity. The alpha found it ironic. Stiles had given him back everything his wolf needed. He had a mate, a pack, and a home. They held each other together, patching up the broken bits; healing, challenging, pushing, and making them into better people. What he held in his arms was worth everything, and he'd fight for it. Most people would say that they'd die for it, but he'd _live_ for it.

**Note: thank you all so much for your feedback!. More chapters to come soon. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 22 of 25

Erica grinned when she saw the jeep pull into the airport pick up lane. Leaving Boyd with the luggage, she practically tackled Stiles when he got out. "Holy God, woman! Are you trying to kill me?"

She planted a kiss on his cheek and pulled back to look at him. "You look good!"

"So do you! It is awesome to see you both! Hey, Boyd! Give me a hug, Bro!" Boyd shook his head, but stepped forward and embraced Stiles anyway.

Erica started grabbing luggage. "Pop the hatch so I can get all these suitcases loaded."

"Oh, wait! I'll get those!" Stiles scrambled to open the hatch of the jeep and throw suitcases in.

"Stiles, it's sweet that you're so chivalrous and all, but I think I can handle it."

"Oh trust me. I know. I will never forget the time that you punched your hand through my hood and literally yanked loose parts of my jeep. So luggage? Definitely not a problem for you. But hey, I was taught to be a gentleman and I do occasionally remember!"

Everybody piled in and Erica looked fondly at the interior of the jeep. "This brings back memories."

"Hopefully good ones!"

"Yeah. You saved all of our lives a time or two with this jeep. I can't believe it's still running."

"Bite your tongue! This is my baby. Of course she's still running." He petted the dashboard lovingly. "Just ignore her, baby. I'll have you forever, don't you worry. I won't abandon you for some hussy of a car."

Boyd's deep laugh issued from the back seat. "You and this jeep. I never did understand it. How's the work on Derek's Camaro going?"

"Honestly, it's going to take a while. Derek decided to work on it himself after the local mechanic looked at it and laughed. The guy told Derek to go buy a new car and said it was a lost cause."

"Damn. That was a great car."

"Yeah. It gave up its life in the defense of mine, so the least we can do is resurrect it."

People poured out of the Sheriff's house when they arrived, and it was group glomp time. Everybody was loud and boisterous. Bags were brought in, insane amounts of snacks were consumed, and they talked well into the night.

###

Morning brought Derek in the kitchen, cooking breakfast. Isaac was the first to stumble down. "Hey, can I have some coffee?"

Derek waved the spatula. "Mugs are in the cupboard and spoons are in that drawer by your hip. Creamer is in the fridge. Don't touch the fat free stuff, by the way. That's for Stiles' dad. "

Isaac decided to be proactive and pulled everything together by the coffee pot. Derek nodded in approval, and Isaac couldn't help the shy smile that lit his face up. Even after all of these years, he still sought the alpha's approval.

Stiles pulled up in the jeep and started dragging in bags and bags of groceries. "I remember how much you all eat. Gotta make sure we've got enough food for today."

As Stiles went back outside for more, Isaac looked wide eyed at Derek. "This food is just for _today?_"

Derek turned away from the pancake to watch Stiles. "It makes him happy to take care of the pack." He gave a shrug. "It's ok, I can make meals out of whatever we don't eat and freeze them up."

"Holy shit, Derek! When did you become the god of domestication?" Erica had come down and had grabbed a slice of bacon.

"Stiles taught me too cook. Now he makes me do it all of the time."

"Yeah, I can see just how terrible that is for you. You've got your own apron and everything." She waved at the one he was wearing, with the words 'Derek's apron' embroidered on it. It had been a gift from Stiles.

"Erica, shut up." Derek's smile belied the statement and Erica grinned back at him.

Stiles came back in, loaded down with more bags. "Hey guys. There's more food in the jeep. Feel free to come help anytime!"

They all looked at the small mountain of grocery bags already on the floor and burst out laughing.

###

That afternoon was their first face to face pack meeting in years. Everybody was there including Deaton and Mrs. McCall. They sprawled out in the Sheriff's living room.

Lydia cleared her throat and stood up. "I have some things to bring up. Mind if I start?" Nobody seemed to object, so she took that as assent. "First I want to address communication. Our weekly pack meetings are great, but if something big comes up, we should have a way to let the pack know. Next time, Stiles Stilinsky, I don't want to find out that you nearly got killed almost a week later."

Stiles sunk into his chair as she glared at him. Then she turned her gaze to Derek.

"It has come to my attention that you have a lot of money rotting in a bank account. Is it doing anything for you there? What's the interest rate? Do you have stocks? Bonds? Investments? Anything at all? No. Didn't think so. You need to make your money work for you. We'll discuss that later." Lydia sat back down.

Derek just stared at her blankly and Stiles couldn't help but laugh at the shellshock travelling down the link. "Way to go, Lydia!" They high fived.

"It'll be hard to follow that act, but Boyd and I have an announcement: we're engaged!" Erica held up her hand and wiggled her fingers, showing off the ring. That set off twenty minutes of every woman in the room discussing wedding dresses and bridal bouquets. The guys shrugged, slapped Boyd on the back, and watched the women with bewilderment.

Derek came up and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations. I'm glad that you're both happy."

Boyd slid a significant glance at Stiles. "Seems that you're pretty happy, too. You look better, Derek. Not so haunted or tense."

The alpha patted his back. "When's the wedding?"

"We're planning on doing it after graduation. We're want to move back, and then hold the wedding here. It wouldn't be the same if the pack couldn't attend."

"You're moving back?" Derek couldn't help the longing that he felt at the idea of his pack being together again. Stiles looked up from across the room at the surge of emotion from his mate, making sure that everything was ok.

Boyd looked at Derek like he was being oblivious. "Of course we are. The only reason we left is because you made us. We don't want to switch colleges since we've only got three more semesters, but we've always wanted to be here."

Isaac used that as his opening to bring up something. "Scott and I are concerned about the situation with Pinkerton. Right now, Scott's the only beta here. I think we'd both feel better if Derek had more back up. I've already transferred to Beacon Hill's college to finish my degree."

Sheriff Stilinski asked, "Where will you be staying, Isaac?"

Isaac shifted nervously. "I wasn't sure yet. I was hoping to find something during break. If not, Scott offered to let me crash until I could find someplace."

"I'd be more than happy to let you stay with us." Mrs. McCall assured him, "We have plenty of space and it will save you rent." Scott gave him the thumbs up.

"Thanks, Mrs. McCall."

After that, it was watching cheesy movies. It devolved into throwing popcorn at each other until the Sheriff reminded them that they'd be cleaning up.

###

Stiles had waited on the tree so that decorating it could be a pack activity. On Christmas morning, he drove up with the tree he'd bought days before, but had stashed at Derek's. Boyd lifted it down and carried it into the house where the two Stilinski men fussed over its positioning until they were content.

Boxes of ornaments were dragged out of the attic, and they all started decorating. They started competing for who could put the ornaments in the 'best' spots; racing to the tree, bumping people out of the way, and racing back for more ornaments. After the third time that Stiles had been hip checked trying to hang his decoration, he stood back. "I never knew that Christmas tree decorating was a contact sport."

"You played lacrosse for years and you can't handle decorating a tree? You're getting soft, Stilinski!" Boyd was amused.

"Jackson used to slam into me ten times harder, but that wasn't to decorate a Christmas tree. Christmas, Boyd. The time of love, and joy, and _peace_!" Despite complaining, Boyd could tell that Stiles was happy.

Erica asked, "So has anybody heard from Jackson since he moved?" She ducked around Danny, knocked Scott sideways, and hung up her ornament with a triumphant smirk.

"He walked away from us and hasn't looked back." Lydia had grabbed a chair and was putting the star on the top of the tree. She was on tiptoes and Derek was pretending to be nonchalant, standing a few feet away. Stiles shot him an amused look, because he could feel the worry and protectiveness surge down the link. Derek just raised an eyebrow back.

"What about the Argents? What have they been up to lately?" Allison hadn't been Erica's favorite person after she'd shot her and Boyd full of arrows.

Scott answered, "Chris retired. Since the area's been stable, he's left us alone. Allison's at college."

They finished trimming the tree and Derek headed into the kitchen. He forced Scott and Isaac into slave labor and made them peel potatoes and dice onions. Soon, good smells were filling up the house. Stiles left and when he came back, the jeep was loaded in gifts. He got everybody to help unload and scolded Erica for shaking her gift. "Uh-uh! No guessing. You have to wait like everybody else!"

They waited until Mrs. McCall arrived after her shift. When asked why she was working on Christmas, she responded, "People still get sick and hurt on Christmas, honey. Hospitals don't get a holiday."

It was all of them together: Scott and his mom, Erica and Boyd, Lydia, Danny, Stiles and his dad. Derek looked at them all. His pack. He looked at them from the kitchen and smiled. "All right, get your asses in gear and help bring this food out. I cooked, so all of you can serve and clean up."

When they were as stuffed as could be, even the werewolves, Stiles hustled them into the living room for gifts. He happily rooted around under the tree and delivered gifts to everybody. He forced his dad to take pictures. Stiles had given Lydia a plastic crown as a gag gift and she regally placed it on her head. Her real gift came later. Derek and Stiles had pitched in together to buy her custom made necklace. It featured a wolf howling at the moon, and cut into the moon was a triskelion.

Danny gave Stiles a new cell phone. "Waterproof, shock resistant, and it has everybody's emails and phone numbers programmed in. I had Deaton ward it against magic too." He gave the same thing to Derek. "Shock resistant means that it can handle being dropped, so try not to get electrocuted again."

Erica's gift was a charm bracelet. Stiles had picked out three little charms already; a wolf, a jeep, and a celtic knot triskele. She loved it and had Boyd help her put it on.

Scott looked up from his gift with tears in his eyes. Most of the pack had pitched in to get him a new laptop. They knew his mom didn't have a lot of money, and he didn't make much working part time for Deaton. His old laptop was on its last legs and glitched as much as it worked. They'd sent all the money to Danny, who had picked up a laptop that made Stiles drool. Danny had even picked up a five year total care package, so if it got broken for any reason, Scott could have it fixed. Stiles thought this was a great plan to have around werewolves. He decided to remember that in the future.

They all opened gifts, ate far more food that they needed, and bonded as a pack. They all crashed out there at the house, even Mrs. McCall. She'd been given the spare bed, because Isaac and the other wolves were all sleeping on the living room floor. Stiles was curled in the middle with Derek.

His dad stood at the doorway. The tree glowed in the dark, casting its light on their sleeping faces. It wasn't the way he'd ever imagined it would be. He could never have predicted werewolves or magic, but it was good. His house was filled with noise and love for the first Christmas in years. Stiles had come back into his life, and he'd brought a whole new family with him.

He wished that his wife could have been here to see this, but he knew she was watching from somewhere. Maybe she'd even had a hand in this miracle. He wouldn't put it past her to still be fixing things long after she'd died. He looked at his family, this pack that he was now part of, feeling warm for the first time since she'd died. Stiles' dad sipped his spiced cider, turned out the hall light, and headed up to bed. If the star twinkled a little bit extra, nobody noticed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Magic's Call** by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing. Canon level violence._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Chapter 23 of 25

Derek was working outside on the Camaro when he felt the panic hit through the link. He didn't think, he ran. Stiles had just left for his father's house, and was either already there or on the way. Sprinting through the woods, Derek ran along the route to the Stilinski house. The cruiser was in the driveway and Stile's jeep was parked along the street. The front door was busted open, and he could hear Stiles frantically searching for his father. He couldn't hear the elder Stilinski's heartbeat but he didn't smell death. He did smell blood and strangers.

He bounded up the steps and inside. "Stiles!"

"Derek! I think my dad's been kidnapped."

Looking around, Derek was inclined to agree. The place was busted up, as if there'd been a struggle. There were signs that Sheriff Stilinski had managed to injure one of his attackers, because there was blood that wasn't his. "Call 911. Report it just how you found it. I'll send out a group text and let everybody know."

The next few hours were a haze of activity. Police and forensics combed the house. Stiles and Derek had been asked to stay outside so that they didn't contaminate the crime scene further. Detectives were working up a time line. The Sheriff had last been seen leaving work the night before and Stiles had arrived around 10:30 am. That left a lot of time in between.

Scott and Isaac had already arrived. Stiles' phone rang. "Hello?"

"Mr. Stilinski. Let me first explain that I can see you. Do not alert your friends or the cops, do you understand me?"

"Yes." He glanced at the wolves and Derek gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"There is a man who wants you very, very badly. I have been hired to bring you to him. Since you are almost never alone, I decided on the next best thing: your father. Come to me at the old quarry in two hours. Come alone. Remember, we'll be watching you, so don't think about alerting anybody. We'll trade. You for your father."

"All right. I'll meet you in two hours, Detective Lahey." When Isaac raised an eyebrow in question at the name, Stiles just gave a tiny shrug.

"Good." The line went dead.

The four of them sat in stunned silence for a moment, Stiles struggling to keep his face blank. "Ok, we need to act like none of you heard that, while we make plans because we all known that you did. Unless one of them is posing as a police officer, I'm going to assume that they can't hear me, only see me."

Derek scented the air. "I'm not picking up any of the strange scents from the house."

Stiles ran his hand through his hair. "Do I have one of you tell the police; maybe leave the phone behind when I get up and walk away, so that they can trace the call?"

"The kidnappers might spot the sudden activity and realize that you've told the cops."

"Right."

Scott had an idea. "They don't know that we're werewolves. Let's use that. Send Stiles in ahead of us. We can follow behind on foot, take them out, and rescue Stiles and his dad."

Derek really did not like the idea of that. "Maybe one of us should go on ahead and scout the area out. We can find out how many we're dealing with, what weapons they have. We can also find out if…" He looked at Stiles, "If he's still alive."

Isaac volunteered. About twenty minutes later, he looked at his watch. He made it look good for the watcher. "I gotta go. I hope everything goes well. Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks Isaac."

As planned, Isaac headed to the veterinary clinic. He parked out front, and Deaton let him out the back way. He watched and listened carefully, making sure that he wasn't watched. Then he wolfed out and ran to the quarry. He stuck to the trees as much as possible. He heard a heartbeat. Looking around, he realized it was coming from a car mostly hidden in the brush line. Isaac crept closer. The man inside was watching the road, not expecting anything to come from the woods behind him. It was hard to see inside the car, but Isaac could smell gun oil.

The wolf quickly but carefully ran the perimeter of the quarry, checking for more lookouts. He didn't find any, and he started working his way in, being very careful not to be seen. Voices… He found two more men outside a building that had once processed rock. Both men were carrying rifles and handguns. Isaac thought he could spot a knife strapped to the leg of one of the men. He listened to their conversation.

"…seems like a big fuss over some kid. He can't be more than what? Nineteen, twenty?"

"Doesn't matter. We get paid to do the job, not to ask questions."

"We kidnapped the damn Sheriff, man! Do you know how much heat is going to come down if we get caught?"

"Shut up and patrol the building! It's too late to be complaining now."

Isaac slid around to the side and spotted a metal feeder that ran up into the building. Glancing around, he ran and jumped. He caught the edge and pulled himself up. Listening to make sure that nobody had heard him, he made his way up the tube, trying to be quiet. When he reached the top, it opened up to conveyor belts that ran above the main floor. He spotted one more man, but he was hearing three heartbeats inside. That meant two more people.

Hoping that nobody looked up, Isaac moved along the belts and equipment, moving towards the sound of the other two heartbeats. They were in a room that must have once been an office. Isaac could see the Sheriff through the open door. The older man was unconscious and tied to a chair. The other person was evidently working on a computer, because he could hear typing.

It was only forty minutes until Stiles needed to arrive. Moving to a position where he could watch but remain hidden, he texted the others. 'Inside main building. 5 men total. Guns. Knives. 1 on lookout by entry. 2 on patrol in front of building. 2 inside. Sheriff ALIVE."

The phone vibrated in his pockets moments later. "Stay there. Watch Sheriff. Protect Stiles once he's in. –D"

###

Stiles was pushing so much force of will into 'He's alive. He's alive. He's alive.', that when he found out that his dad actually **was** alive, it caused him to mentally stumble. He ran through a list of new mantras to push his magic through, but quickly discarded them. 'They won't hurt him', for example. If they already had hurt him, would that nullify the magic? He wasn't sure, and he couldn't take that risk. He settled on 'Dad will stay alive". It was the best he could come up with.

Scott had 'left' earlier, pretending to go home. He was actually in the woods, headed towards the quarry. Derek had stayed because they figured that it'd be suspicious if Stiles' boyfriend left him in the middle of a crisis. He'd leave last. He'd be cutting it close, but they couldn't risk their watcher getting suspicious.

He didn't have to fake comforting his mate for the watcher. Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles and pulled him close. "We'll get him back."

"That's the bad thing about our link, Derek. I can feel your worry."

"Of course I'm worried. Stiles, believe. Don't doubt."

His mate nodded. "You're right." He gave Derek a small smile. "Showtime."

"Stay safe."

"You too."

Stiles got in his jeep and left. A few minutes later, he heard a car engine start along the road. Being paranoid, he waited a while longer. Hearing nothing and hoping for the best, he slipped out into the back yard and ran.

###

Stiles arrived at the quarry. The entrance was blocked off by a chain. He got out to open it, and he felt the barrel of gun press against his neck. He was quickly frisked. "Step over the chain and move nice and slow." The man grabbed his arm, still keeping the gun pointed at him. He was marched down to the building. One of the guys on patrol asked, "Was he followed?"

"Not that I saw, but that isn't my job."

The man dragged him into the building towards the back. Stiles didn't see anyone else, but he knew there were other people here based on Isaac's intel. Soon, he was in front of a door where he could see his dad. The side of his face was swollen and bruised, but he was breathing. Stiles was shoved inside and the door was shut behind him.

"Stiles. You are a difficult man to get a hold of." Stiles jerked around at the voice. A man was sitting in the corner, sitting partially in the shadows. "My client is very happy that we have you in custody." He waved at a laptop computer where a chat bubble sat open.

"You have me. Let go of my dad. That was the deal."

"I'm afraid that we can't do that. You're smart enough, from all reports. You should know why."

"He's seen your faces, and even if he hadn't, he'd be able to remember details that could incriminate you."

"Precisely. Leave no loose ends behind."

"I'm assuming that you need me alive, otherwise you'd have already tried to kill me, instead of resorting to kidnapping a law enforcement agent."

"The reward was much higher for keeping you alive. I know that you don't have weapons, and there's nothing in here that you can hurt yourself with. If you're considering self-harm, it's not going to happen."

Stiles flooded the bond with energy, every last bit that he could reach. He sent it winging into Derek and beyond; into Isaac who he could feel in the building above him, and into Scott who was waiting to move on one of the outside guards. He felt his body drop and he maintained enough consciousness to finish the job. He was trusting Derek to know what to do. It was up to him now. Darkness closed in and he let it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Magic's Call **by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing. Canon level violence._

_Warning: some SERIOUS angst in this chapter...but don't worry. Nothing truly bad happens._

Note: this is not how I envisioned this chapter going. Somehow it morphed into something very different and it refused to let me go, so I went along for the ride. Update: OMG. I do NOT know where this chapter came from, but I could not seem to write it any other way. I even got up out of bed early on a Saturday to work on it because my brain would not leave it alone. It is so long because I promised 25 chapters and I have something set in mind for the final chapter. I hope people don't hate this chapter...I'm sorry!

__**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

****

Chapter 24 of 25

Derek was almost to the quarry when he felt a series of almost indescribable emotions hit him from Stiles. Fear, resignation, and determination in such a mash that he couldn't pick through it all. The link went bright with power, and all Derek could smell was cinnamon. He ran even faster, the power sending him rocketing forward. He sensed the guy long before he got there; standing next to a warm car, heartbeat strong. He knew it was the guy who had watched them; the power causing all his senses to work in tandem, faster than they'd ever processed before. Before the guy could even blink at him, Derek had him down and was running again.

The cinnamon smell burned through his senses, becoming almost scorched, and then agony hit him. Three howls sounded through the air as one. Power still surged through Derek and all he could do was keep going.

###

After Stiles was thrust into the room, Isaac angled himself to see through a tiny glass window on the north wall. He could see the kidnapper sitting in the corner, but couldn't get a good view of Stiles. It was a bad situation; the kidnapper had a gun, the door was shut, and there was a man guarding it. He wasn't sure that he could get inside in time.

Stiles asked for his dad to be released, and the kidnapper raised his gun from where he'd had it resting on his lap. The man made it clear that the Sheriff was going to die. He had the gun trained on the Sheriff when Stiles spoke again, "I'm assuming that you need me alive, otherwise you'd have already tried to kill me, instead of resorting to kidnapping a law enforcement agent." Isaac saw the man hesitate and size Stiles up. When he told Stiles that it wasn't possible for him to hurt himself, Isaac could see the man start to re-focus on the Sheriff.

Suddenly, the wolf was awash in power. Isaac couldn't see Stiles, but he watched the kidnapper's eyes narrow. "Nice try, kid. I'm not buying it." The power flared, and then Stiles' heartbeat just stopped. There was no slow wind down, no stuttering. It just stopped. For a moment he felt a phantom pain and then he howled in loss; his and the pack's. He heard Derek and Scott cry out.

He could smell the man's confusion change to fear, and heard his footsteps move towards Stiles. His words almost sounded booming to Isaac's heightened awareness, "Shit!" The door was flung open and the kidnapper commanded his coworker to come help him. Without thought Isaac jumped down, bashed the guard in the face, and took out the main kidnapper.

He dropped down next to Stiles hoping that he'd been wrong.

###

These guys were almost funny, Scott thought. Every time they met up on their circuit, they bickered.

The wolf waited for Derek's signal. They were supposed to act at the same time to prevent the people inside from knowing anything was wrong. They didn't want to spook them and get Stiles and his dad killed.

One moment things were normal, and the next he felt like he'd been given an insane adrenaline rush. He kind of liked it...until the second where it spiked higher and he _**felt**_ Stiles die. Anger flowed through him and he howled. Both men below looked up in alarm at the sound, and he dropped on them. One took an elbow to the back of the head, the other a punch square to the face. They dropped like rocks.

Running towards the door, he came across another man that had Stiles' scent on him. Grief burning pure and bright, his wolf reacted. He struck the man, sending him flying across the driveway. Not satisfied, he stalked towards the man as Derek went hurtling past him.

Scott spun and followed the alpha.

###

Derek sped past Scott, barely noticing him. He did see the man inside raise a gun. In the second that the man pulled the trigger, Derek flashed to the side, bullet missing him. The alpha rolled underneath the man's aim and took out his legs. Scott was above them and landed a solid punch to the man's jaw. Derek could hear bone break.

They were both moving forward when the flood of power faded. Slowing, they saw two men laying on the ground, bloody, while Isaac knelt by Stiles. He looked up at Derek and Scott, tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened."

Derek slid into place by Stiles and Isaac flinched. Derek glanced at him. "Not your fault." He pulled Stiles into his lap, yanking his mate's shirt out of the waistband. Placing both hands on Stiles skin, he shoved power back into his mate, threw away all doubt, and _believed_ that Stiles' heart would start.

Every wolf there sagged in relief when they heart the thump of Stiles heart pick back up and the young man opened his eyes. Derek hugged him tight, while yelling at him. "You are an _**IDIOT**_! Why in the hell did you do that? We were almost here! You are the only person I know that would ever stop their heart on purpose! What if it had gone wrong?"

Scott started yelling, too. "He stopped his own heart?! What the hell, Stiles? Do you have any idea how freaked I was?"

Isaac was the only one not yelling. He just sat there staring at Stiles. He whispered, "How could you do that to us?"

"He was going to kill my dad and I needed a distraction. It had to be real if I wanted to buy enough time for you to get here. In the last push of power, I tried to make sure that Derek knew how to reverse it. Maybe it will help to think about it as putting myself in stasis and not actually dying?"

Isaac was still choked up and whispering, "No. It doesn't help. The pack is all the family I have left. You risked Derek's life, too. If you're both dead, there is no pack. "

Stiles reached a hand out to Isaac. "I'm sorry." Isaac stared at his hand for a minute and looked away. Stiles dropped his hand.

He could feel rage and pain burning down the link from Derek. Scott was pacing angrily, looking like he wanted somebody else to beat up.

Stiles got up and went quickly to his father. "We need to call the police."

"How are we going to explain this?, Derek asked.

Stiles was checking out his dad. He started untying him when Derek walked over and just ripped the ropes off. The young man looked up at his mate, "Thank you." Derek just glared.

Stiles knew he'd screwed up. He knew he'd taken an insane risk and gambled Derek's life right along with it. Everybody here had issues with loss, but now wasn't the time to fix it. "I'll explain that they called me, I went, and you guys suspected something and followed me here. A fight broke out and we won." He thought for a moment. "Nobody's actually dead, are they?"

Scott finally spoke to him again. "No, but with the mojo you sent us, we messed them up pretty badly."

Derek handed him his cell phone since he'd left it behind. Stiles had known that the kidnapper's wouldn't have let him keep it. He made the call and soon the place was filled with police officers. His dad and all six captors were taken away by ambulance.

They all spent hours being interrogated, and then yelled at for "stupid acts of heroics". Wow. Didn't that about sum up his day? Everybody was angry with him. Even the cops.

Somewhere in the time that elapsed during questioning, they were told that a team had been sent to the meet where Stiles was to be turned over. The man who had arranged the whole thing was none other than Ralph Pinkerton. The police had already made the connection from Pinkerton to his nephew, and pulled up the files about the earlier arson attack.

In the end, they were released and no charges were filed given the circumstances; though some of the officers were looking at them warily.

As soon as they were let go, he headed to the hospital to check on his dad. That went almost as well as the rest of his day. The Sheriff had a concussion and would spend a couple of days in the hospital, but he was awake. He was already upset with Stiles for coming to rescue him without telling the police. Then Derek told him about the rest and his dad went ballistic. The nurses ended up kicking them out for upsetting him.

When they got home, the answering machine was filled with messages. With a start, he remembered that they'd all turned off their phones while the police were questioning them. He wasn't sure if anybody else had turned theirs back on. When he did, he had a lot of messages waiting. As he listened to all of them, he felt horrible. It turned out that what he'd done had traveled through his bond to Derek, and then outward through Derek's pack bond. Everybody had felt Stiles die. Everybody. Even Lydia and Danny. They'd all had spent the afternoon thinking that Stiles was dead and that they were going to lose their alpha.

He sent a group text assuring them that he was, in fact, alive. Then he called everybody one by one, and he told them the truth. He'd expected Erica to scream, but instead she'd been icy. Boyd hadn't spoken, and even over the phone, that silence spoke volumes. Danny had been calm, but then, Danny was almost always calm. Out of all of them, his reaction was the easiest.

Stiles had left Lydia for last, although she'd left him several scathing voice mails while he'd been talking to the others. Evidently somebody had already spilled the beans. When he finally worked up the nerve to call, she answered before it even finished the first ring. It was about as horrible as he imagined. She emotionally flayed him up one side and down the other. He got told how he had risked himself senselessly and almost taken Derek and the pack out with him. She bludgeoned him guilt over how it had made everybody feel. He got lectured that he wasn't a reckless teenager anymore, and that other people depended on him. By the time she wound down, they were both in tears.

Scott wasn't speaking to him and Isaac refused to meet his eyes. Worst of all was Derek. Somehow he'd managed to slam walls down and he could barely feel the link. He was giving Stiles the same blank faced glower that he'd worn when they were in high school. All of Stiles' efforts to communicate were shut down. He tried once to touch Derek and his hand had been gently, but firmly, removed.

Stiles spent the night miserably huddled in bed. Derek slept somewhere else. Stiles wasn't sure where. He kept thinking that things would get better, but they didn't. Derek remained closed off, and the rest of the pack stayed angry. Including his father.

Stiles spent two weeks trying to own up to his mistake and hoping that somebody would thaw to him, but it just wasn't happening. He threw some clothes in a bag and left. He didn't know where he was going and he didn't care. He knew that he'd made a huge mistake and he understood why they were upset, but right now he felt like his whole world had ended. They were all angry. He wanted to explain, but nobody was listening. Right now it just hurt, and he wanted it to stop. What he wanted was to go home, go to bed, and curl up with Derek next to him. Stiles just didn't know if that would ever happen again.

He drove until he had to fill up with gas, and then he drove some more. He had nowhere to go. He'd left Derek's. Scott was still angry so he couldn't go to the McCall's. His dad was upset, so he couldn't go there either. He ended up parked in the driveway of the clinic. He sat there and stared at it until the sun came back up.

He fell asleep sometimes just after dawn. He woke to Deaton knocking on his window. Thinking he was as unwanted there as everywhere else and about to be thrown off the premises, he babbled. "Sorry. Leaving now. Sorry. I'll get going." Deaton shook his head and waved at him to come inside. Stiles didn't say anything and Dr. Deaton didn't ask. He just set up a pallet in the back room and told Stiles to get some real sleep.

Days passed and Stiles wasn't any closer to answers. He had no real money. He didn't have a job. He knew that he couldn't live at the veterinary clinic for the rest of his life. He needed to start looking for some options.

###

Deaton showed up one day, while Derek was rewiring the camaro. "What do you want?"

The vet's passive gaze took him in. "We need to talk."

"About what? I know Stiles is staying at the clinic. Scott's been scenting him there, even though he's long gone before he arrives at work."

"Have you thought about this from Stiles' perspective?"

"Why would I? He almost killed himself as a _distraction_. He risked my life. He risked the pack!" Derek tossed the old part on the ground, and aggressively started shoving the new one in. "There's nothing to think about."

"Think about this then: he made one mistake and it's cost him everybody that he loves. One would think that you'd know exactly how that feels."

Derek snarled at him, "GET OUT!"

Deaton faced down the alpha. "Your anger hasn't only affected you. It's traveling through the pack bond and making everybody angry. I've never seen Scott hold a grudge against anybody he loves, and he's been angry for almost three weeks. What does that tell you, Derek? "

The vet started walking away but he sent a parting shot over his shoulder. "Maybe you should ask Stiles why he acted as he did, instead of shutting him out."

Long after the vet had walked away, Derek threw the screwdriver across the yard and let himself slide to the ground.

###

The pack hadn't held a meeting since the Sheriff had been kidnapped. Derek texted everybody and set one up. That night, he realized that what Deaton had said was true. He found out that Stiles had called every pack member and he hadn't made excuses. He'd apologized. In return, every single pack member outside of Danny had ripped Stiles up or shut him out.

That was hard for him to swallow.

Derek sat there, long after the meeting had ended, and thought about it. He knew why he was angry; it wasn't that Stiles had risked Derek's life. The wolf had long since accepted that death could happen at any time. It wasn't even about the pack. Scott could hold the pack together. Even as a Beta, he'd had his own pack. As an alpha, he'd do just fine, especially with the rest of them backing him up.

It was that the very thought of losing Stiles, the loss that he knew he'd feel before he followed...he couldn't handle that. It's why he'd pushed everybody away to begin with: he couldn't bear the loss of losing it all again. He was repeating the same mistake.

Half afraid of finding the same kind of simmering anger that had burned inside of him these last few weeks, Derek opened himself to the link. Instead of anger he was slammed with pain, loss, grief, loneliness, and utter heartbreak. He whispered, "Dammit, Stiles."

It was after1am when Derek got to the clinic. He used the spare key and let himself in. Stiles was laying on a pallet on the floor. The alpha could smell the grief on his mate. Even in sleep he looked tired and worn. Derek laid down next to his mate and watched him sleep.

The alarm woke Stiles. Scott was opening this morning and he needed to be out of there. Stiles opened his eyes and froze. Derek was laying there, not quite touching him. Stiles wanted so very badly to reach out and touch his mate that it was a physical ache, but he didn't know if he dared. He turned his face into the pillow and when he looked back, Derek was watching him.

Stiles wanted to say something, _anything_ to make this right, and for once: there was nothing. He was so afraid of screwing this all up even more that the words locked up in his throat. He could only stare at his mate mutely.

Taking a risk, and knowing that it would break him if he was rejected, he reached out and brushed Derek's hand with the lightest of touches. His mate closed his eyes, opened them with a slight sigh, and pulled him in. Stiles tried to burrow as close to Derek as possible. Tears stung his eyes and when he looked up, even Derek's eyes were looking suspiciously moist. He just laid there, soaking in Derek's warmth, and feeling like he was flying apart.

"Why?"

Stiles opened his mouth and then shut it. He'd thought about the answer so many times . What if the answer made Derek walk away for good?

"Just tell me why you did it." Derek held him tight.

"He's my dad and I just got him back. That hired thug was going to shoot him; right there, right then, in front of me! I didn't know how far out you were, and he was going to do it. I couldn't watch my father die! I thought about going for the gun but what if it accidentally fired and hit dad? Or me? I thought about getting between the guy and my father, but what if he fired? I may not survive a bullet. Even if he didn't shoot, it would take him mere seconds to shove me out of the way and shoot dad anyway.  
My life was valuable to him and I knew that if I put myself in jeopardy, it would delay him. If I just passed out, he'd still just turn around and shoot dad while I was unconscious...but if my heart stopped he'd be forced to do something about it. He'd care more about getting his money and saving me than about killing dad. I knew that would give you enough time, especially with the extra power I sent you.

I also _believed_ that you'd get the message that I pushed out through the link, and that you'd know what to do. It was the only plan I could come up to make sure we all came out alive. Maybe it wasn't a great one, but it was all I had.

I'm sorry. I am. I didn't know that the whole pack would feel it. I only thought about watching my dad die and wanting to stop it from happening, and wanting to do it in a way that didn't involve a hospital stay or a coffin. I was trying to stay alive, Derek, and keep you and my dad alive too."

Stiles probably would have kept going but Derek kissed him lightly. Just a light touching of the lips, but it was enough to stop the torrent of words. "Stiles. Stop. It's ok."

Stiles shook his head. "I was told a quote once. 'If you're in hell, keep going.' What if hell never ends? What if that's all that's left?" He started hyperventilating.

Derek recognized it as a panic attack. He tried comforting Stiles, but it wasn't reaching him. He could only lay there holding Stiles, and telling him that everything would be ok.

They laid there like that, long past when Scott came in to open the clinic. The beta had come in and was sitting on the floor across the room. Stiles was still shaking and refused to look at his friend, though Scott had called to him several times. Derek helped Stiles stand, and his mate kept his face tucked into the alpha's neck. "Let's go home." When Stiles nodded, he led them out.

Over the next few weeks, the in state pack members stopped in to visit. Derek could feel the need in Stiles for those connections, but fear kept him in hiding. The pack accepted his apology and offered their own. Stiles never rejected them, but he didn't embrace them either. Even pack meetings were subdued, with Stiles never really looking up at the screen. Not even Sheriff Stilinksi couldn't reach Stiles.

The young man hadn't had time to get the paperwork in to transfer to Beacon Hill's college for the spring semester, but he had everything in order to start back up in the fall. In the meantime he was going off with Dr. Morrell. Derek didn't know what Stiles was doing, and his mate wouldn't talk about it. He was coming back with fairly sizable amounts of money and was using it to pay off his students loans. He was also paying Derek back for everything the alpha had covered for Stiles during the last year. Derek _hated_ it. He refused to take it himself, but then he kept noticing deposits in his account.

Derek also felt the link narrowing. Stiles only shrugged. He explained that he was changing it to prevent either of them dragging the other into death. Asking him to stop did nothing. The whole thing was like watching himself of a few years ago; pushing away everything he'd ever wanted and locking it away from himself. Derek didn't know how to stop it from happening.

Derek had enrolled at the local community college to take courses to become a paramedic. He'd said that he'd do it, and Stiles was holding him to it.

He was almost done with the camaro. He still had the summer to finish it up. Right now he was down to replacing a quarter panel and repainting. Derek was thinking of letting a body shop handle that. Otherwise, it ran perfectly again.

Erica and Boyd were coming back for the summer to look for wedding venues. They also wanted to look at houses. Derek was going to help them with a down payment as a wedding gift. It would be worth it to have them back.

He was on the phone with them when he smelled blood. "Erica, Boyd. I have to go."

Stiles was in the bathroom stripping off blood soaked clothes. None of it was his, thankfully. "Were you with Dr. Morrell?"

Stiles wouldn't look at him. "Yes."

"Whose blood is that?"

"A client."

"A client?"

"Yes. A client. I need a shower, Derek. Can you shut the door on the way out, please?"

"No."

Stiles looked at him then. Anger was in his eyes and then quickly tamped down. "Fine."

The young man stripped as the shower warmed up. He wasn't skinny like he'd been last year, but now he was whipcord thin and all wiry muscles. He stepped into the shower and Derek decided to follow him. Leaving his clothes on the floor, the alpha slid the curtain back and joined Stiles. His mate just watched him warily. Derek took the soap from Stiles and carefully and gently washed off the blood. He wiped away some blood that was on Stiles' cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, Stiles. You can push me away, but I'm not going to let you cut me out of your life."

He grabbed the shampoo and massaged Stiles' scalp with his fingers. "We're mates. Your magic called to mine. Whatever you've been doing to the bond? You know that it won't work. We're already connected and denying it won't change that. You taught me that."

The alpha let Stiles feel it all: the pain he'd felt when Stiles had stopped his heart, the fear that it would go wrong and that Derek wouldn't be able to bring him back, his sadness when he found out that the whole pack had turned it's back on Stiles, his guilt for his role in it, the way it had felt these past few months being shut out, watching Stiles fade away from them, and most of all he showed him love. He loved the way Stiles took care of the pack. He loved his mate's loyalty, his protectiveness, and how much he cared. He loved the way Stiles looked when he was happy. He even loved how he threw himself into danger for the people he loved, even though it also made Derek crazy. It was all part of Stiles, and that was who he loved. He laid it out there and sent it burning through the barriers on the connection, lighting it up. He gave back to Stiles the same gift that had been given to him.

Stiles' knees buckled and Derek caught him. The link was flowing freely again and he pulled on his connection to the pack. He wrapped it around Stiles like a blanket. He knew Stiles felt it; felt the solidity and warmth of the pack, and their love for one another, including Stiles. Like a dam breaking or a wound being lanced, the pain came pouring out of Stiles. It eventually changed to anger and Derek held him as he vented it all.

The hot water tank emptied and the shower ran cold while Stiles was still was letting it all out. Derek reached back, shutting off the water and pulled Stiles into the curve of his body, lending his mate his warmth. Stiles wore himself out and rested against Derek, shivering. The alpha helped him stand on wobbly feet and they made their way to the bedroom where Stiles crawled into their bed. The sheets stuck to their wet bodies, but neither of them cared.

Stiles slept fitfully and Derek kept him wrapped in pack, and love, and acceptance.


	25. Chapter 25

**Magic's Call **by Dreaming of a Bright Sky

_May contain spoilers for both seasons. Some swearing. Canon level violence. _

__**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

****

Chapter 25 of 25

Working for Dr. Morrell was certainly an interesting experience. Stiles never knew who, or what, he'd be working with at a given time. Stiles talent was very versatile and people were willing to pay a lot. To prevent problems, Stiles only worked in conjunction with Dr. Morrell and limited his services to saving lives. He gained a lot of knowledge for the pack's bestiary.

Derek wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement and Stiles understood why. It wasn't always safe. It meant working in dangerous situations, with creatures and people who were volatile, and it was making Stiles a commodity in the supernatural community. Stiles was enjoying the work, though. He was tempted to switch majors, but medical school would take too long, and it would require years away from the pack.

Everybody was home for the summer. One more year of college and they'd all be back for good. He'd been wary around Erica and Boyd at first, but Erica had called him "Batman" and hugged him. Boyd had slapped his back so hard that he stumbled and told him, "Good to see you." He knew it was okay then.

Danny was Danny.; still awesome, always cool. He greeted Stiles with a smile and a nod, handed him a game that hadn't even been released yet, and the two of them were off and running with a gaming marathon.

Lydia was the problem. He gotten used to years of being ignored by her. Her being mad at him? That was another story. She'd apologized with everybody else. She said it was fine, but he was sensing an edge to her that hadn't been there before. He already knew that he couldn't blame her anger on feedback from Derek. That had been all Lydia. She hadn't felt Stiles die through the pack bond because she was immune. She'd felt it through whatever bond that Stiles himself had forged with her.

They danced around each other for a few days until Lydia got sick of it. She pulled him aside. "Do you remember that speech you gave me the day that Jackson was saved from being the kanima? The one where you told me that it wasn't me that would be standing at my grave and dealing with the fallout because I didn't care about my safety?"

"Yeah."

"Stiles, all of that applies to you too."

He rubbed his hands over his head. "I know."

"See that you do. You've spent the last year sick, hurt, and dead twice. I'm very fond of you sweetie, but zombies give me the creeps and you are skirting that line. I'm warning you; if you put a piece of your soul in me and use mind control, I will personally kill you and make sure that you can never come back. Got it?"

"Crystal clear, Lydia. Yes, ma'am!" He saluted her. They both grinned.

His dad was still pretty upset by the whole thing. As soon as the anger drained from the pack bond, the Sheriff was distraught about how he'd treated his son. In the months when Stiles practically became a ghost, he'd hovered, wanting to find a way to reach his son. After Derek had finally, _finally_ been able to get through to Stiles, things were slowly starting to return to normal.

The Sheriff had taken him out to dinner one night, to make sure that there weren't distractions. "Look, Stiles, what you did was brave. You have to understand; the worst thing for any parent to face is losing their child. I've already lost your mother. Don't make me lose you too."

"Dad, I couldn't watch you die when I could stop it. I had to do something."

The Sheriff gazed at his son, eyes clear. "You're twenty one, Stiles. You have your whole life ahead of you. If it's ever a call between you and me? I will pick you every time. I've lived my life. Don't throw yours away. Promise me that you won't risk yourself like that again."

"I can't promise you that. I can't! You're my dad."

His dad sighed. "Somehow, I knew that was going to be your answer. You have to at least promise me that you will do everything possible to stay safe and minimize your risk."

"Yeah, ok. I'll do my best."

"You do that."

The Sheriff had to be satisfied with that. Stiles worked on keeping that promise and began taking one of the wolves with him every time he helped Dr. Morrell.

Isaac had been more difficult. He wasn't afraid of Stiles physically, but he acted like he was expecting to get yelled at. Derek had been unusually careful around Isaac, something that he wasn't particularly good at. Stiles tried talking to the beta, but Isaac would just hang his head and nod at everything Stiles said. When the conversations were done, he'd go right back to acting like a wild, timid creature. It was Scott who finally fixed it. He had Stiles load the old lacrosse gear into the jeep and the three of them played. When Stiles got tired, the two wolves went full out. At the end, everybody collapsed by one of the goals and grinned at each other.

Scott had slid back into his role of best friend seamlessly. He didn't make a fuss or have some sort of long talk with Stiles. He said that he was sorry, gave his best friend a hug, and that was it. With some people it was just that easy.

###

As the summer progressed, they had regular pack meetings at the Sheriff's house. Derek's little rented house was too small for all of them. Luckily, Stiles dad didn't mind at all. He waved them all in with a smile. In return, they all pitched in around the place. The Sheriff came home one day to find Boyd up on the roof, repairing a patch that had ripped off during a storm. He'd find his cupboards stocked with food (only healthy stuff), though Erica once slipped him a steak sandwich. Isaac could sometimes be found mowing the lawn or taking care of the yard. He'd find his laundry all washed and folded by Stiles, or his breakfast dishes drying in the rack. It was a mini invasion and he loved it.

Erica and Boyd were having a hard time finding a house that met their needs. They wanted something big enough to hold the pack, away from close neighbors, and by the woods. So far they'd been striking out. Stiles had been picking up something weird from Derek when the pair talked about house hunting, but he just gave Stiles a secretive smirk when he asked.

They were all at the Stilinski house having a pack meeting. The summer was drawing to a close, and they'd be heading off to college soon. Boyd reported that they still hadn't found anything that met their criteria. Derek got up and reached behind the couch where he'd evidently hidden something. He pulled out a pair of tubes. One of them he handed to Boyd and Erica. "Here."

Erica opened the tube and pulled rolled up sheets of paper out. She looked at Derek, not understanding. "Blueprints for your house. It's modeled after that one you really liked but had the nosy neighbors. The contractors name is on the corner. If you and Boyd want to change anything, just give him a call. He'll work with you."

Erica flung herself at him, giving him a hug. "Thank you!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Where are we building it?"

"The Hale property is pretty vast. You can pretty much take your pick. Just don't build on the old spot."

Boyd asked, "You planning on building a new house there?" He nodded at the second tube.

"No. That place was the past. I want to create something new." He handed the tube to Stiles. "Want to build our house?"

"Oh my god, are you serious? You're serious! Holy crap. Give me that!" He snatched the tube from Derek and pried the end open. "Do you have a spot in mind?"

"Part of the property extends pretty close to here. If we build there, we'd only be about a mile from your dad's house. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds awesome! I still want to hold pack meetings here, though. It's tradition now. Is that ok, dad?"

"That's perfect." He nudged Stiles over. "Let me take a look at those."

The Stilinski men looked over the blueprints. Periodically, Stiles would shoot Derek a question. "Hey, can we get rid of one of the bedrooms downstairs and expand the living room and dining room?"

"Can we have a pool? Oh, and a hot tub! We have to have a hot tub with all those jets!"

"The master bath needs a garden tub." He waggled his eye brows at Derek, which looked disturbing rather than sexy. "Imagine taking a nice hot bubble bath together!"

"First of all, any changes you want can be made. This will be _our_ house. Second, don't do that thing with your eyebrows again. Lastly? Bubbles make me sneeze."

"You are so grumpy! We're having a garden tub and you're doing a bubble bath." Derek just raised an eyebrow and Stiles smirked. "You know you can't resist me!"

The alpha just sat down behind his mate, letting Stiles lean against him as he looked over the blueprints.

Erica had been talking with Boyd. "Hey, Derek?"

"Hmm?"

"How fast will this go up? Will it be ready by the time we graduate?"

"The contractor said that as drawn up, the house could be done in under three months. Depending on changes you make, it could take from six to nine months."

"I think we'd like to get married at the new house. It's just going to be the pack, so we don't need a wedding hall or anything. We could do everything there. I suppose that we could have it catered, but I don't like the idea of strangers being there. Maybe we can cook stuff ahead of time and heat it up."

"Derek could cook!"

The man in question glared at his mate. "Stop volunteering me to cook for everything!"

"You love it and you know it!" Stiles turned sideways to smile at his mate. "So how long for our house?"

"Erica and Boyd's house come first. Then the company could start on ours. Both houses have some extra safety features; fire sprinklers, alarms, and an escape route not detailed on the blueprints. Our house will also have a safe room for you with it's own ventilation, water, and access. I also have a room planned to hold and contain out of control werewolves. That will take longer."

"Huh. Ok. I still want that garden tub, though. By the way, I noticed that you have a very large kitchen planned. I knew you loved cooking!"

"We have a pack to feed. Of course we need a large kitchen."

"Liar." Derek could feel the amusement coming from Stiles. "You love cooking. You just don't want to admit it because it would blow your bad boy image."

Erica's laugh filled the room. "You know he's right. The day you started talking about cooking leftovers and freezing up meals was the day you lost this battle, Derek. Face it!"

The whole pack started ribbing the alpha and he took it with surprising good humor. "Fine! If it will get everybody to shut up, I'll cook for the wedding!"

Stiles did a fist pump and gave Erica a high five. Isaac and Danny offered to help with the cooking, and they all chattered about houses and weddings.

###

The year marched on and Derek started college. The classes were marginally interesting, although some of the girls annoyed him. They hit on him constantly, even when he politely declined. Derek resorted to explaining that he had a male partner. Even that didn't deter them. He ended up appealing to Stiles. His mate was pretty sure it wouldn't help, but he played along.

He accompanied Derek to school and they publicly made out. It was almost embarrassing because they sort of forgot that they were in public after a while. The two of them were jolted into awareness of the situation when one of the girls in question came up and asked for a threesome. Stiles laughed and Derek's face turned an alarming shade of red. For a minute, he thought the alpha was going to blow, but Derek grabbed Stiles hand and dragged him off. Derek skipped class because the two of them were a little busy.

Some of the girls continued to hit on Derek while others were smiling and cooing at him. One of them even had the nerve to ask Derek for fashion tips. Stiles died laughing when Derek told him. "Fashion tips! Oh my God. Fashion tips from the man who wears wife beaters and leather!"

"Like you're any better? You wear flannel shirts and track suits."

"Yeah. True. Maybe you could give them Lydia's number?"

Derek was horrified at the thought. Lydia would either find some horrible means for revenge; or she'd take these girls under her wing, teach them to be truly scary, and set them lose on the world. "No. Absolutely not."

Stiles was having a similar thought. "Bad idea. Ok, so it probably doesn't help that you drive a hot cat. The camaro is a chick magnet. If you promise not to hurt my baby, I'll loan her out to you."

"I'm not driving that death trap."

"Hey! That 'death trap' got you around when your car was nothing but a scrap heap. Don't diss my baby!"

"Relax, Stiles. I'm kidding."

Stiles wasn't about to give in so easily. "You called my baby a mean name. Take it back!"

The alpha rolled his eyes. "Fine. Your jeep is a paragon of safety, comfort, and reliability. Happy now?"

"No, but it will do." He kissed Derek and gave him a shoulder bump. "Seriously, you're so handsome that it's practically illegal. You could dress as a rodeo clown and the girls would still think you're hot. You're going to be the sexy paramedic. All the women will purposely get hurt, just to ride in your ambulance. Men too."

"Just as long as it's not you."

"Nope. I've already had this conversation with my dad. I'm trying to stay out of trouble and not get hurt. It's been seven whole months since I've done anything heart stopping. Heart stopping, get it?" At Derek's genuine glare, he backtracked. "Ok, still not finding humor in the situation. Got it. No more bad puns."

Derek shoulder bumped him back. "Don't joke about that. It 'll never be funny."

"Gotcha. So, you going to play up the sexy paramedic thing? Wear tight pants and find ways to show off your great abs?"

"Stiles! Knock it off!"

###

The pack came home for the holidays again, and they all went to where Erica and Boyd's house was being built. The contractor waved and showed them around. The place was almost ready, and things like cabinets and appliances were being put in. Erica was pointing out where furniture would go.

Boyd was talking to the contractor about landscaping. Since Erica wanted the wedding here, he needed to make sure that the lawns weren't bare dirt. He was assured that some minimal landscaping would be done, but anything more would have to be done by somebody else. Stiles typed something into his phone and showed it to Boyd. "Isaac and I will handle this. Wedding gift." Boyd made sure that Erica hadn't seen the exchange and nodded.

When spring came, Isaac and Stiles went to Lowes. They picked up fast growing lawn seed, trees, plants, trellises, and more. With some of the money he earned while working with Dr. Morrell, he bought a white gazebo. It got carted into the back yard by Scott, Derek, and Isaac. He was going to make a nice gravel walkway to it, but Isaac reminded him that Erica was probably going to wear high heels. Instead, he used compact sand and walkway stones.

They set up the trellises and planted climbing plants next to them. Derek helped with the trees, and Scott came by and helped with borders. By the time graduation rolled around, the place looked great.

That month was chaotic. Erica and Boyd's graduation was on the other side of the country and they had to fly in for that. Complicating matters was the fact that Lydia's graduation was the very next day. Derek and Stiles arrived a few days early and helped the engaged pair pack. They loaded it into a moving crate where it would be hauled across the country and dropped off at the new house. Danny, Scott, Isaac, and Lydia flew in the day before graduation. Boyd and Erica both walked across the stage with big smiles, and the whole pack flew back to California that night. Lydia graduated and then it was Danny's turn.

Scott had graduated with an associates degree the year before and was working as a veterinary assistant for Deaton. He was being encouraged to be a vet, but he wasn't sure he could handle the course load. It was very competitive and he'd never been a great student.

Stiles was still working on his degree because of the year that he'd been sidelined. Derek would graduate with an associates degree at the same time that Stiles would graduate from Beacon Hill's college with a bachelors. One of Isaac's courses hadn't been counted in the transfer, so he needed one more semester before he was done.

Erica and Boyd were blindfolded and driven to their house. She let Stiles lead her out to the back yard, while Derek helped Boyd. When the fabric was removed, they were stunned. It was gorgeous. There had been just enough time for things to take root and settle. Only one tree hadn't made it, and it had been replaced. A path of white sand led to the gazebo, with a large trellis spanning the path. Ivy was just starting to grow up the sides of the trellis, and flowering bushes were planted around the gazebo.

Erica spun around, taking it all in. She thanked Derek but he told her, "This was Stiles and Isaac."

She hugged Isaac, pressing her face into his neck. "This is beautiful." The wolf hugged her back and just smiled.

Then she flung herself at Stiles, who had braced for impact. "One of these days you're going to break my spine!"

"You're too tough for that." She hugged him until his ribs practically creaked. "Thank you. This really is perfect."

"Nothing but the best for my pack." His grin was infectious and everybody was smiling.

When the moving crate arrived, everybody pitched in. The wolves started a running gag, handing the really heavy boxes to Stiles. He sweated and puffed with the third such box. "Really? This is funny? Holy God. What's in here, rocks?"

Boyd looked at the side of the box. "Yes."

"Oh my God. Are you kidding me?"

Sure enough, it was full of rocks. It turned out that Erica had discovered crystals and had started collecting them. This box was full of rocks and crystals and on the side it was labeled, "Erica's rock collection". Danny snapped a picture of Stiles looking outraged as he pulled actual rocks from inside the container.

###

The day of the wedding dawned slightly damp, but by mid afternoon it had cleared. The rain had left everything dewy and sparkly in the sunlight. Everybody was there: Dr. Deaton, Ms. Morrell, Dr. Morrell, Mrs. McCall, Sheriff Stilinski, and all the pack members.

Derek had taken some online course so that he could marry the pair. He was actually dressed up. Stiles mouth had fallen open when he'd seen his mate. The alpha was wearing a silk dress shirt and gray suit jacket. On the bottom he was wearing a new pair of jeans and dress shoes. The whole thing just looked great. "Maybe you _could_ give fashion tips. Holy shit!"

Everybody was set up and waiting for the bride. She had asked Sheriff Stilinski to walk her down the aisle, since he was the closest most of them had to a loving parent. As they stepped outside and onto the pathway, Erica beamed.

She had picked a dress that really spoke of her personality. The skirt was short in the front, but the back flowed down to the ground. The bodice was formfitting with an asymmetrical top. One shoulder was bare and the other angled up to a spaghetti strap. It was totally Erica and it was beautiful.

They didn't have a best man or bridesmaid. They hadn't wanted to play favorites in that way, so they stood up there alone in front of Derek. As they said their vows, Stiles' eyes watered. "A bug flew in my eye." he whispered to Scott. His friend just grinned at him.

After the ceremony, the headed inside to eat. All the cooking had been done that morning or the night before, and everything hot was resting in the oven to stay warm. They stuffed themselves silly, danced around in the living room to whatever songs came up on Pandora, and reveled in their joy.

Stiles was thinking that their lives weren't always about pain and violence. It was also filled with moments like this: moments of pack, and a sense of family and belonging. It was about love. As they got ready to leave Derek leaned in for a kiss, and they walked out to the car together.


End file.
